The Nigerian Air Force has confirmed that airstrikes carried out in Katsina State have destroyed key criminal hideouts in the Unguwar Goga Hillforest, Ruwan Godiya Ward, within Faskari Local Government Area.
The operation, conducted in the early hours of Thursday by the Air Component of Operation Fansan Yamma, targeted heavily fortified camps belonging to two notorious bandit leaders, Gero (Alhaji) and Alhaji Riga.
In a statement released on Friday night, NAF’s Deputy Director of Public Relations and Information, Group Captain Kabiru Ali, said the strikes were highly effective, eliminating more than 20 bandits while inflicting additional casualties in the surrounding rocky terrain.
“The Nigerian Air Force has delivered a devastating blow to banditry in Katsina State,” Ali stated. “The precision airstrikes, based on credible intelligence, successfully dismantled the fortified camps of notorious bandit kingpins, Gero (Alhaji) and Alhaji Riga. Over 20 criminals were neutralized, with more casualties reported in the rocky hills nearby.”
According to Ali, both Riga and Gero played a significant role in sustaining bandit activities in the region by providing shelter to criminal elements responsible for deadly ambushes along the Funtua-Gusau Road, particularly between Yankara and Sheme villages.
“The elimination of these individuals marks a major breakthrough in ongoing efforts to restore peace and security in the North-West,” Ali added.
While the full extent of the damage is still being assessed, military officials describe the airstrike as a decisive step in dismantling the operational networks of criminal gangs terrorizing the region.
