The Nigerian military has carried out a precision air strike on a major bandits’ enclave at Dogon Dawa, along the Niger-Kaduna-Zamfara border.
Security sources told Zagazola Makama that the operation was conducted after intelligence revealed that a large number of armed bandits had gathered in the area to coordinate attacks on nearby communities.
The air strike reportedly hit the gathering, neutralising several members of the group and disrupting their planned operations.
According to operational sources, intelligence obtained after the strike showed that hundreds of motorcycles were assembled at the location.
The motorcycles were believed to have been prepared for the planned movement of the bandits during attacks on communities around the border axis.
A battle damage assessment and follow-up intelligence indicated that several surviving bandits, many of them wounded, fled towards the forests between Shadadi and Ma’undu through the Mangwaro axis.
The operation was said to have disrupted the group’s command structure and denied the criminals freedom of movement in the area.
Security sources said the mission reflected the growing use of intelligence-led air operations to track and strike bandit formations before they launch attacks on civilians.
They added that the operation also showed improved coordination between intelligence agencies and the Air Component in identifying and engaging high-value criminal targets across the North-West and North-Central theatres.
