Two notorious bandit kingpins – Gero (Alhaji) and Alhaji Riga – have been killed in a fresh operation by the Nigerian Air Force in Katsina State.
The Deputy Director of Public Relations and Information, Nigerian Air Force, Group Captain Kabiru Ali said this in a statement issued on Friday, March 14.
The operation, Ali said took place on the criminal hideouts in Unguwar Goga Hillforest, Ruwan Godiya Ward, the Faskari Local Government Area of the state.
According to Ali, the attack was carried out by air troops Operation Fansan Yamma in the early hours of Thursday.
He said, “The Nigerian Air Force has delivered a devastating blow to banditry in Katsina State, as the Air Component of Operation Fansan Yamma executed a precision airstrike in early hours of 13 March 2025, decimating notorious bandit hideouts in Unguwar Goga Hillforest, Ruwan Godiya Ward, Faskari Local Government Area.
“The airstrikes, which preceded careful and actionable intelligence advancing purposeful lethality, destroyed the fortified camps of notorious bandit kingpins, Gero (Alhaji) and Alhaji Riga, neutralising over 20 criminals, with additional casualties reported in the surrounding rocky hills,” Ali said.
Ali added that the bandit kingpins who were killed were key enablers in the region.
