The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has announced that airstrikes in Katsina State have destroyed notorious bandit hideouts, killing over 20 bandits. The operation, carried out by the Air Component of Operation Fansan Yamma, targeted the fortified camps of two notorious bandit kingpins, Gero (Alhaji) and Alhaji Riga, in Unguwar Goga Hillforest, Ruwan Godiya Ward, Faskari Local Government Area.
According to a statement by the Deputy Director of Public Relations and Information, Nigerian Air Force, Group Captain Kabiru Ali, the airstrikes successfully neutralized over 20 bandits, with additional casualties reported in the surrounding rocky hills.
The NAF stated that the airstrikes were executed in the early hours of March 13, 2025, and had a decisive impact on the criminals. The assessment of the full extent of the damage is ongoing.
Ali noted that Riga and Gero were key enablers of banditry in the region, providing shelter for terrorist elements responsible for deadly ambushes along the Funtua-Gusau Road, particularly between Yankara and Sheme villages. Their elimination is seen as a major breakthrough in the ongoing military campaign to restore peace in the North-West.
