NAF Precision Airstrikes Kill Scores of Bandits in Zamfara’s Makakkari Forest

NAF Precision Airstrikes Kill Scores of Bandits in Zamfara’s Makakkari Forest

By IDNN Defence & Security Desk

NAF precision airstrikes Zamfara have delivered a major blow to armed groups in the state, with the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) confirming the elimination of multiple high-value targets during coordinated strikes on Makakkari Forest.

According to Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, Director of Public Relations and Information for the NAF, Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions detected the movement of over 400 bandits preparing to attack a farming community. The NAF swiftly deployed combat aircraft for targeted bombardment, supported by advancing ground troops.

“The synergy between air and land components made the operation exceptional,” Ejodame stated, noting that several notorious kingpins were among the dead.

Banditry Crisis in Nigeria’s Northwest

The strikes are part of Operation Fasan Yamma, a sustained campaign to dismantle the entrenched network of bandit gangs in Nigeria’s northwest. These groups have, for years, raided villages, kidnapped residents for ransom, burned homes, and stolen livestock — creating a parallel economy of violence in largely rural, impoverished areas.

Many of the gangs also impose illegal levies on farmers and miners, driving thousands from their land and deepening the food insecurity crisis. Aid agencies warn that climate change and conflict are worsening malnutrition in the region.

Persistent Threat Despite Military Deployments

Despite military presence since 2015 and the creation of local militia forces, large-scale attacks have persisted. In July, Nigerian troops killed at least 95 gang members in Niger State, but the armed groups have increasingly coordinated with jihadist factions in the northeast.

Security analysts say the latest NAF strikes could temporarily disrupt planned attacks, but lasting security will require sustained pressure, improved intelligence sharing, and community-based security initiatives.

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