Nigerian Air Force (NAF) fighter jets have bombarded the house of a notorious bandit leader, Mallam Ila, in the eastern part of Sokoto State.
Although details of the operation are still sketchy, Newsbreak.ng learnt on Saturday that sequel to the raid, the house of the outlaw was completely burnt down, with security agents killing three people and cattle. However, Ila managed to escape with injuries.
Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, the Air Force spokesperson, could not be reached for comments regarding the offensives. But an Air Force source in Sokoto confirmed that Air Force jets attacked terrorists’ camps in the state.
Sokoto has been one of the hot spots in the banditry scourge in northern Nigeria.
The armed groups initially consisted of young men from the Fulani ethnic group, whose members traditionally worked as nomadic cattle herders and are caught up in a decades-long conflict with Hausa farming communities over access to water and grazing land. But experts say multiple armed groups are now taking advantage of the situation to indulge in banditry in those areas too.
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