About 200 armed bandits have been killed by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) component of operation HADARIN during multiple air strikes at the bandits camps in Katsina and Zamfara states.
According to the Coordinator Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. John Enenche, the air strikes were conducted on 22 and 23 May 2020 at Ibrahim Mai’Bai’s Camp in Jibia Local Government Area of Katsina state and Kurmin Kura in Zurmi Local Government Area of Zamfara state.
Enenche said in a statement on Sunday that the air strikes were executed after series of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (missions, which led to the “confirmation that the two locations were being used as hideouts for some notorious armed bandit leaders whilst also serving as collection points for rustled cattle.”
He said upon confirmation of the bandits hideouts, the Nigerian Air Force ground attack aircraft and helicopter gunships engaged the two locations “in multiple passes, destroying the makeshift structures in the camps as well as killing the bandit leaders and their fighters.”
” Human Intelligence sources later confirmed that close to 200 armed bandits were killed in the air strikes at the target locations,” he said.
Enenche said that Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshall Sadique Abubakar has commended the Air Component of Operation HADARIN DAJI for their professionalism and “directs them to remain resolute towards eradicating all armed bandits thus achieving directives of the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Abayomi Olonisakin, of restoring normalcy in the North West and North Central Zones of the Country.”
” The CAS has also directed that additional assets be deployed to cover Kaduna, Niger, Nasarawa and Kogi states to frustrate any attempt of the bandits to relocate to adjoining states,” he said.
