Scores of bandits operating in Walawa, Yadi and Kuduru hills in Kaduna State were flushed out from their hideouts by Nigerian Air Force fighter jets.
Many of the bandits were killed and their logistics supplies were destroyed in the joint air and ground operation.
The Director Public Relations and Information, Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, in a statement disclosed that the “the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), in a special operation conducted in coordination with the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies, has smoked out armed bandits from their camps at Walawa, Yadi and Kuduru Hills areas of Kaduna State, neutralizing several of them and destroying some of their logistics supplies in the process”.
He added that, “this was achieved in a joint air and ground operation executed yesterday, 17 March 2020, after credible intelligence reports and days of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance missions revealed that the bandits, after driving away the original inhabitants of the area, had continued to operate from the locations with impunity.
“Accordingly, the NAF detailed its attack aircraft to conduct series of air raids at the bandits’ camps resulting in the destruction of some of the logistics facilities and structures housing the armed bandits as well as the neutralization of several of them.
“The air strikes also paved way for ground forces to conduct mop-up operations, supported by NAF combat helicopters. In all, no fewer than 5 commanders of Ansaru and a dozen armed bandits were neutralized in the operation”.
“The NAF, working in consonance with other security agencies, will sustain its operations to flush the armed bandits out of the Northwest Zone of the country”.