The Nigerian Armed Forces said on Saturday that Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has killed “no fewer than 135 armed bandits in massive air raids executed at several locations in Katsina and Zamfara States between 20 and 22 May 2020.
Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, Defence Headquarters, Abuja, Major General John Enenche, said in a statement that the air sir strikes also “decimated” several of the bandits’ camps in the Northwest of the country.
Working under the Air Component of Operation HADARIN DAJI, General Enenche said, “the air strikes were undertaken sequel to credible Human Intelligence (HUMINT) reports as well as series of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions that led to the identification of the camps.”
The camps include Abu Radde Camps 1 and 2 and Dunya in Jibia and DanMusa Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Katsina State as well as Hassan Tagwaye’s Camp; Alhaji Auta’s Camp and Maikomi in Birnin Magaji and Zurmi LGAs of Zamfara State.
According to the Defence Spokesperson, “the air interdiction missions were painstakingly undertaken by the Air Component as it dispatched its attack aircraft to the locations in multiple bombing runs, some of which were executed simultaneously.
“At the Abu Radde Camps on 20 May 2020, a set of huts housing one of the notorious bandit leaders was taken out by air strikes with scores of the bandits killed and few seen fleeing with gunshot wounds towards the Dumburum Forest. Similar air raids were executed at Hassan Tagwaye’s and Alhaji Auta’s Camps as well as at Maikomi with equally devastating effects. HUMINT reports later confirmed that no fewer than 135 bandits were neutralized by the series of air strikes at the various locations.”
Meanwhile, Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, has commended the Air Component of Operation HADARIN DAJI for their professionalism and directs them to remain resolute, in order to achieve the directives of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) to restore normalcy to all parts of Nigeria.
