Abuja, August 11: Nigerian security forces have killed more than 100 heavily armed bandits during a coordinated air and ground offensive in Zamfara State, according to a conflict monitoring report linked to the United Nations and obtained by AFP on Monday.
The operation, conducted early Sunday in the Makakkari forest of Bukkuyum district, targeted a gathering of over 400 bandits. Supported by ground troops, Nigerian fighter jets struck their hideout, preventing a planned attack on a nearby farming village.
Authorities say the raid was launched in response to a surge in kidnappings and armed raids across the state, including Friday’s deadly assault on Adabka village that left 13 security personnel dead and several residents abducted.
The report noted that reduced military activity in recent weeks had allowed criminal groups to intensify operations. Originally rooted in farmer-herder disputes, these armed groups have evolved into organised criminal gangs engaged in kidnapping, cattle rustling, and extortion, with increasing cooperation with jihadist networks in the northeast.
Despite sustained military campaigns and the formation of state-backed militias, the violence has continued, displacing thousands and deepening food insecurity in the region.
The Nigerian military has yet to release an official statement on the latest operation.
