By Bavoriat Clara
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has intensified its air interdiction campaign against terrorist elements, delivering a series of coordinated, intelligence-driven airstrikes across key threat corridors in the North-East and North-West between 1 and 2 January 2026.
In a statement issued by the Director of Public Relations and Information, Headquarters Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, the operations were conducted under the joint task forces of Operations HADIN KAI and FASAN YAMMA Sector 2, with the aim of disrupting terrorist movement, logistics, and operational planning.
According to the statement, NAF air assets were deployed based on actionable intelligence indicating terrorist intent, movement routes, and logistics chains. The precision strikes targeted identified hideouts, assembly areas, and transit corridors, reinforcing the Air Force’s resolve to deny terrorist groups freedom of action and safe havens within Nigeria’s territory.
In the North-East theatre, sustained precision strikes were executed against concealed terrorist enclaves at Abirma and Chiralia within the Timbuktu Triangle. Persistent surveillance had confirmed the locations as active facilities linked to improvised explosive device production and attack planning.
The strikes led to the complete destruction of the targeted structures, with multiple secondary explosions observed, suggesting the elimination of explosive stockpiles and key logistics assets.
Further interdiction missions were carried out at Guva in the Mandara Mountains, where additional terrorist storage and coordination nodes were dismantled. These actions, the statement noted, significantly degraded the ability of the terrorists to regroup, resupply, or launch attacks during the festive period and beyond.
Simultaneously, the campaign was extended to the North-West, where NAF aircraft conducted a decisive air interdiction mission around Karaduwa Giginya Na in Matazu Local Government Area of Katsina State. Terrorist elements were tracked while moving in large motorcycle convoys and engaged at a forested convergence point. Post-strike assessments and corroborated local reports confirmed the neutralisation of several terrorists, the destruction of multiple motorcycles, and the elimination of assorted weapons.
The Nigerian Air Force reaffirmed its commitment to sustaining precision air operations in support of ground forces, assuring Nigerians that terrorist elements threatening innocent lives would continue to be met with decisive force.
The Service reiterated its resolve to protect civilians, support national security objectives, and restore lasting peace and stability across all theatres of operation.
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