Heavy Casualties as NAF Executes Targeted Airstrikes in Borno, Kwara, Katsina.
By Our Correspondent.
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has announced that it has intensified its counterterrorism and anti-banditry operations nationwide by conducting a series of precision airstrikes across six northern states: Borno, Katsina, Kebbi, Kaduna, Zamfara, and Kwara.
The Director of Public Relations and Information at the Headquarters Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, stated that the latest aerial campaign successfully neutralized Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists in Mallam Fatori and Shuwaram, Borno State, and destroyed bandit enclaves in Garin Dandi and Chigogo, Kwara State, as well as Zango Hill in Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina State.
He emphasized that these coordinated missions, carried out on 9 November 2025, mark a decisive phase in ongoing joint operations under Operation Hadin Kai and Operation Fanjan Yamma, aimed at degrading terrorist and criminal networks across Nigeria’s northern regions.
Air Commodore Ejodame explained that in Borno State, NAF air interdiction missions dealt a heavy blow to ISWAP terrorists entrenched in the northern Tumbuns. Guided by real-time Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) feeds, air assets launched precision strikes southeast of Shuwaram before shifting to Mallam Fatori, where ISWAP fighters were observed mobilizing with motorcycles and boats along the Lake Chad Basin. The strikes destroyed insurgent hideouts, logistics hubs, and weapons storage facilities, killing several terrorists and crippling their mobility. Post-strike assessments confirmed multiple neutralizations and significant degradation of ISWAP’s operational networks in the area.
“Simultaneously, NAF aircraft carried out precision air interdiction missions over Garin Dandi and Chigogo in Kwara State, striking bandit camps with devastating accuracy based on credible intelligence. The attacks caused panic and inflicted heavy losses among the criminals.
“In a related operation, air assets under Operation Fanjan Yamma struck Zango Hill in Kankara LGA, Katsina State — the hideout of a terrorist kingpin and his fighters.”
The NAF spokesperson further clarified that, guided by actionable intelligence and ISR surveillance, multiple attack passes were executed, destroying key logistics hubs and neutralizing several terrorists in what was one of the most decisive strikes in the region.
“Demonstrating sustained reach and precision, the Air Component of Operation Fanjan Yamma (Sector 1) conducted an armed reconnaissance mission across the north-west corridor, covering key settlements in Zamfara, Kebbi, and Kaduna States — including Kakihum, Dankolo, Kotonkoro, and Kuyello. These locations serve as known routes and hideouts for armed groups along the Birnin Gwari–Funtua axis. During the mission, coordination with Forward Operating Bases at Dankolo and Kotonkoro revealed suspicious movement near Wam Hill, where terrorists on motorcycles were spotted attempting to flee. The aircrew swiftly engaged and neutralized the targets, with no further hostile activity observed,” he said.
Air Commodore Ejodame underscored that the success of these precision operations across Borno, Kwara, Katsina, and the broader northwestern corridor highlights the Nigerian Air Force’s renewed pace, following directives from the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke.
He concluded by stating that each mission reaffirms NAF’s commitment to employing smarter, intelligence-driven air power to deliver purposeful lethality against insurgents and criminals, while safeguarding the lives and property of citizens in the pursuit of enhanced national security.
