The Nigerian Air Force says it has unleashed an unrelenting aerial campaign in the North-East over the past eight months, killing at least 592 insurgents and destroying 372 enemy assets in operations it claims have already surpassed the pace of last year’s effort.
According to Air Force spokesperson Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, the figures were revealed by the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, during a courtesy visit to Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum in Maiduguri on Tuesday.
Backed by upgraded aircraft and precision night-strike capabilities, the air component of Operation Hadin Kai flew 798 combat sorties and clocked more than 1,500 operational hours, targeting Boko Haram and ISWAP positions from Gonori to Mallam Fatori. The missions, Abubakar said, have crippled terrorist mobility and logistics, knocking out 206 technical vehicles and 166 supply hubs “deep in hostile territory”.
“This year, our air war is faster, sharper and more surgical,” he told the governor. “We are taking out high-value targets, crippling their logistics and hunting down every cell that threatens the peace of the North-East.”
Aircraft deployed have ranged from A-29 Super Tucanos for precision strikes to Mi-171 helicopters for logistics and medical evacuation, with 24-hour surveillance platforms tracking targets. A newly acquired Mi-35 gunship is expected to intensify close-air support for ground forces.
Abubakar praised what he called the “Borno Model” — a mix of hard military action and community-driven, non-kinetic engagement — describing it as a formula that is “winning the war in the air, on the ground and in the hearts of the people”.
Zulum commended the Air Force for protecting communities and degrading insurgent capabilities, but called for more platforms to target difficult terrain in the Lake Chad basin, Sambisa Forest, the Timbuktu Triangle and the Mandara Mountains.
“These areas are very difficult to be manned effectively by ground troops alone,” he said. “We need heavy air power to eliminate the insurgents and address insecurity in the general area.”
The governor also acknowledged the deployment of drones and pledged full state support for the Air Force’s efforts, while noting that cooperation with other security agencies had helped secure recent gains.
