Residents of Bukuyum in Zamfara State have hailed the Nigerian military after a major air strike killed more than 100 armed bandits in a coordinated operation.
The Nigerian Air Force carried out the raid in Bukuyum Local Government Area on Thursday, targeting criminal hideouts in the region. Local sources described the operation as “swift, precise, and highly effective.”
The success follows President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive to security agencies to restore peace across the North-West, a region that has faced years of banditry and violent attacks.
Defence Minister Bello Matawalle, National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, and Chief of Defence Staff General Christopher Musa have been credited with leading and coordinating the offensive.
Matawalle, a former Zamfara State governor, has toured several communities in the North-West in recent weeks, engaging with residents and military personnel. His visits, officials say, were aimed at assessing security needs and boosting troop morale.
Bukuyum residents say they had earlier written to Matawalle to seek urgent federal intervention, accusing Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal Dare of ignoring repeated pleas for help.
Security analysts say the latest success should serve as a model for sustained military action against criminal gangs operating across Nigeria.
Authorities have vowed that the operation marks the beginning of intensified offensives aimed at ending the cycle of violence in the North-West.