The Nigerian Army on Tuesday confirmed the killing of more than 100 armed gang members in one of the fiercest encounters in the country’s north-west region.
North-west Nigeria is plagued by violent crimes, including mass abductions, sexual violence and attacks on impoverished villages carried out by armed groups.
The military, in a statement, said it had killed more than 100 gang members in a coordinated ground and air assault in the state of Zamfara.
The decision to strike the armed groups was taken as a pre-emptive measure, as reports suggested that around 400 armed gang members were planning a mass attack on a village.
These groups, referred to locally as “bandits”, have been terrorising communities across the north-west and central parts of Nigeria.
Confirming the military statement, Nigerian Air Force spokesperson Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame said the airstrike had killed “several notorious kingpins and scores of their foot soldiers”.
He added that while the air force dealt the initial blow to the gang members, the remaining bandits were taken out by ground forces.
The military’s attack “may have occurred in response to consecutive banditry, especially kidnapping, in the state in the previous month”.
The Nigerian government has consistently launched military operations against these groups, including an operation in July which saw the killing of 95 gang members in the same north-western region.
However, the operations have yet to yield significant success, as sporadic violence continues across the north-western region.
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