NAF air strikes kill ‘over 100 fleeing bandits’ in Kebbi

The Nigeria Air Force troops of Operation Hadarin Daji have reportedly bombed over 100 bandits during a series of air strikes in Kebbi state. 

According to Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency publication focused on the Lake Chad region, the coordinated air strikes were fired at the bandits as they journeyed through Sageko Malekachi village on Wednesday afternoon. 

The publication quoted military sources as saying that the troops acted on intelligence that the bandits were teeming up in Madada village — in Maru LGA in Zamfara state — to attack communities in Kebbi. 

According to Zagazola, the bandits who rode on motorcycles, decided to turn back halfway after being informed that air force troops were in the know of their movement. 

The troops later intercepted the bandits in Dan Mani village and bombed over 100 of them in an operation that lasted more than an hour. 

Zagazola said the ground team of the troops also went after the fleeing bandits and killed 17 of them. 

Seventeen motorcycles were burnt while one damaged Ak47 rifle and 17 rounds of 7.2 MM special ammo were recovered after the air strikes.

Christopher Musa, the chief of defence staff (CDS), has asked troops not to wait for Boko Haram terrorists to attack first before taking the fight to them.

While speaking to troops of Operation Hadin Kai at the Maimalari cantonment, Maiduguri, the Borno state capital on Tuesday, the CDS said a soldier who comes to the theatre is not complete without killing at least one Boko Haram fighter.