Deborah Akinyosoye
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has intensified its counterterrorism and counter-banditry operations across the country, carrying out precision airstrikes against terrorist and criminal hideouts in Borno, Kwara, Katsina, Zamfara, and Kaduna states.
Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, Director of Public Relations and Information, stated on Monday that the operations, executed on 9 November 2025, formed part of ongoing joint operations under Operation Hadin Kai and Operation Fansan Yamma. The missions were designed to disrupt insurgent and criminal networks in northern Nigeria.
In Borno State, NAF airstrikes targeted locations in Mallam Fatori and Shuwaram, where ISWAP fighters were reportedly mobilising. The strikes destroyed hideouts, logistics hubs, and weapons storage facilities, limiting the group’s mobility in the Lake Chad Basin region.
In Kwara State, bandit enclaves in Garin Dandi and Chigogo were also targeted with precision air interdiction missions based on intelligence reports. Similarly, air operations in Zango Hill, Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina State, focused on dismantling the hideout of an armed group.
The Air Component of Operation Fansan Yamma further conducted reconnaissance missions across key settlements in Zamfara, Kebbi, and Kaduna States, including Kakihum, Dankolo, Kotonkoro, and Kuyello. Suspicious movements along known routes for armed groups were monitored, and targets were engaged to prevent further threats.
Ejodame noted that the coordinated operations demonstrate the NAF’s commitment to intelligence-driven missions aimed at enhancing national security while protecting lives and property.
“The success of these operations underscores the Nigerian Air Force’s renewed tempo and its resolve to employ precise, intelligence-guided airpower against threats across the northern corridor,” he said.