Air Marshal Aneke met Air Component Commanders from all operational theatres at the NAF Headquarters, Abuja, recently. Credit: X/@NigAirForce

Several members of the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) and armed bandit groups have been killed in coordinated airstrikes conducted by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) across multiple states, as part of intensified counterterrorism and counter-banditry operations nationwide.

In a statement issued by the Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, the strikes — carried out on November 9, 2025 — targeted terrorist hideouts in Mallam Fatori and Shuwaram (Borno State), Garin Dandi and Chigogo (Kwara State), and Zango Hill in Kankara (Katsina State).

Ejodame said the operations formed part of Operation HADIN KAI and Operation FANSAN YAMMA, which aim to dismantle terrorist and criminal networks across Nigeria’s northern corridors.

“In Borno State, NAF air interdiction missions dealt a heavy blow to ISWAP terrorists entrenched in the Northern Tumbuns,” he said. “Guided by real-time intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) feeds, air assets conducted precision strikes on insurgent camps and logistics hubs, destroying weapons storage facilities and eliminating several terrorists.”

According to post-strike assessments, multiple insurgents were neutralised, while their mobility and communication structures were crippled.

In Kwara State, NAF aircraft simultaneously hit bandit enclaves in Garin Dandi and Chigogo. The statement noted that the precision strikes caused panic among the criminals and destroyed several hideouts and supply points.

Similarly, in Katsina State, air assets under Operation FANSAN YAMMA struck Zango Hill — a notorious terrorist hideout in Kankara Local Government Area. The attacks destroyed key logistics hubs and neutralised several members of the terrorist group led by a wanted kingpin.

Further reconnaissance missions covered parts of Zamfara, Kebbi, and Kaduna States, where aircrews engaged terrorists attempting to flee on motorcycles near Wam Hill.

Ejodame added that the success of the operations reflected NAF’s renewed momentum under the directive of the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, who had earlier tasked commanders to intensify precision strikes nationwide.

“We must fly smarter and strike harder; every mission must reflect professionalism, purpose, and patriotism,” Aneke had told senior officers during a strategy meeting at NAF Headquarters, Abuja.

The latest offensive came days after President Bola Tinubu reiterated his administration’s determination to eliminate terrorism and banditry, following U.S. President Donald Trump’s remarks threatening U.S. intervention over continued attacks on Christians in Nigeria.

Tinubu had said, “The task ahead is immense. But we are resolved to move forward with unity and purpose, to defeat terrorism and build a prosperous, inclusive, and resilient Nigeria.”

NAF reaffirmed that the precision raids are part of its ongoing strategy to project “smarter and intelligence-driven airpower”, ensuring the protection of lives and properties while enhancing national security.