The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has intensified its offensive against armed bandit groups in the North-West, carrying out two coordinated precision air strikes on suspected bandit enclaves in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
The air operations, executed under the Air Component of Operation FANSAN YAMMA, Sector 2, targeted Turba Hill and a camp linked to a notorious bandit leader, Kachalla Dogo Sule, believed to be a hub for the production of improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
Confirming the development, the Director of Public Relations and Information of the NAF, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, said the strikes were based on credible intelligence gathered from multiple sources, following sustained surveillance of the affected locations.
According to him, the first strike focused on Turba Hill, a location long identified by security agencies as a major bandit hideout. He explained that intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions had revealed intense human activity around a zinc-roofed structure assessed to be central to the group’s operations.
“Following positive identification, the target was engaged with precision, resulting in a direct hit. Post-strike assessments confirmed the complete destruction of the structure and the neutralisation of several bandits,” Ejodame stated.
The second air raid, he said, was carried out on a camp associated with Kachalla Dogo Sule, described as a key operational base for planning attacks and manufacturing IEDs used along the Dan Sadau–Magami axis.
He noted that the strike successfully destroyed several active structures within the camp, triggering fires that engulfed the facilities and significantly weakened the group’s operational capacity.
“The precision strike effectively crippled the bandits’ IED production and deployment capability,” Ejodame added, stressing that although several bandits were eliminated in the operations, casualty figures were yet to be fully ascertained.
The NAF spokesman described the strikes as a major blow to bandit networks operating in Zamfara, particularly their ability to sustain violent attacks on communities and security formations.
“These decisive air strikes reaffirm the Nigerian Air Force’s unwavering commitment, in close coordination with other components of Operation FANSAN YAMMA, to deny criminal elements safe havens, degrade their combat effectiveness and support ongoing efforts to restore lasting peace and security across the North-West and the country,” he said.
