Nigerian Air Force Strikes Decimate ISWAP and Bandit Camps

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has intensified its counterterrorism and anti-banditry campaign across the country, launching a new wave of precision airstrikes that have reportedly neutralized ISWAP terrorists and destroyed multiple criminal hideouts.

According to Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, Director of Public Relations and Information at NAF Headquarters, the coordinated missions were executed on November 9, 2025, targeting key terrorist and bandit enclaves in Borno, Katsina, and Kwara States.

• In Borno State, the operations focused on Mallam Fatori and Shuwaram, known strongholds of the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP).

• In Katsina State, NAF aircraft bombed Zango Hill in Kankara Local Government Area, a notorious hideout for insurgent leaders.

• In Kwara State, precision strikes hit bandit camps in Garin Dandi and Chigogo.

Ejodame confirmed that all three operations were guided by real-time Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) systems, ensuring high-accuracy engagements and minimal collateral impact.

NAF air interdiction missions in Borno State targeted ISWAP positions entrenched in the Northern Tumbuns, near the Lake Chad Basin. Air assets first carried out focused attacks southeast of Shuwaram, before moving to Mallam Fatori, where insurgents had been spotted mobilizing with motorcycles and boats.

According to the official statement:

“The airstrikes eliminated multiple terrorists and severely restricted their mobility by destroying hideouts, logistics hubs, and weapons depots. Post-strike assessments confirmed several neutralisations and a significant degradation of ISWAP’s operational network.”

Simultaneously, aircraft struck Garin Dandi and Chigogo in Kwara State, dealing heavy blows to organized bandit groups operating in the area.

In a parallel operation under Operation FANSAN YAMMA, NAF forces executed one of the most significant air offensives in the northwest corridor, destroying Zango Hill, a long-time insurgent stronghold in Kankara LGA, Katsina State.

Multiple attack runs were conducted under ISR supervision, successfully demolishing terrorist logistics hubs and neutralizing several armed elements. The mission marks another decisive step in dismantling networks linked to banditry and insurgency in northern Nigeria.

The air component also carried out Armed Reconnaissance missions across Zamfara, Kebbi, and Kaduna States, covering critical routes and hideouts such as Kakihum, Dankolo, Kotonkoro, and Kuyello, often used by armed groups along the Birnin Gwari–Funtua axis.