During a successful airstrike on criminal enclaves in Katsina State, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) destroyed fortified hideouts and killed more than 20 criminals.
Within the Faskari Local Government Area, in the Ruwan Godiya Ward of Unguwar Goga Hillforest, the targeted strike occurred early on Thursday.
Particularly targeted were the camps of two infamous bandit commanders, Gero (Alhaji) and Alhaji Riga. The operation was carried out by the Air Component of Operation Fansan Yamma.
The Nigerian Air Force’s Deputy Director of Public Relations and Information, Group Captain Kabiru Ali, acknowledged the mission’s success in a statement released Friday evening, emphasizing the substantial number of losses the criminals suffered.
The statement stated: “The Air Component of Operation Fansan Yamma carried out a precision airstrike in the early hours of March 13, 2025, decimating notorious bandit hideouts in Unguwar Goga Hillforest, Ruwan Godiya Ward, Faskari Local Government Area, dealing a devastating blow to banditry in Katsina State.”
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“The airstrikes, which came before meticulous and actionable intelligence advancing purposeful lethality, killed over 20 criminals and destroyed the fortified camps of infamous bandit kingpins Gero (Alhaji) and Alhaji Riga. Additional casualties were reported in the nearby rocky hills.”
The criminals were significantly impacted by the airstrike, and the entire extent of the destruction is still being assessed.
Ali emphasized how Gero and Riga were essential to the region’s banditry, providing safe havens for criminal organizations that carried out lethal ambushes along the Funtua-Gusau Road, especially in the area between Yankara and Sheme villages.
His removal, he added, is a major milestone in the military’s continuous efforts to bring peace and stability back to the North-West.
