NAF Neutralises 2,351 Terrorists in 274 Precision Airstrikes in 2025 Operations
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has neutralized no fewer than 2,351 terrorists through intelligence-driven air operations conducted across multiple theatres nationwide in 2025.
The achievement was realised through 274 Air Interdiction missions flown in 379 combat sorties, targeting terrorist strongholds, logistics hubs, training camps, and critical mobility corridors.
According to the Air Force, these figures exclude hundreds of other missions, including Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), close air support to ground forces, and armed reconnaissance operations. The Air Interdiction missions alone clocked approximately 800 flight hours, highlighting the NAF’s sustained operational reach and dominance.
The air campaign, go beyond eliminating terrorist fighters,i it also disrupted key supply chains, severed mobility routes, and degraded leadership structures linking terrorist enclaves in the North-East, North-West, and North-Central regions.
A statement released by Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, Director of Public Relations and Information, said these effects allowed ground troops to reclaim contested areas, stabilise vulnerable communities, and reduce the operational capabilities of both terrorists and bandits.
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He noted that the operations also extended to the Niger Delta, targeting oil theft and pipeline vandalism. Precision strikes destroyed hundreds of illegal refining reservoirs, 126 storage tanks, and several boats used by criminal syndicates, weakening their financial capacity and enhancing national economic resilience.
Commenting on the operational gains, Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, reaffirmed the Service’s resolve to maintain pressure on all threats to national security. “The outcomes recorded in 2025 clearly demonstrate the growing precision, effectiveness, and lethality of Nigerian Air Force air power,” he stated.
He attributed the success to intelligence-driven targeting, improved platform availability, crew proficiency, and integration with ground forces and other security agencies.
Air Marshal Aneke also credited the Federal Government, led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for sustained investments in air platforms, infrastructure, personnel welfare, and training, which have strengthened the NAF’s operational readiness.
The CAS assured Nigerians that the Air Force will intensify kinetic operations while strictly adhering to Rules of Engagement and International Humanitarian Law. He warned terrorists and criminal elements that they will find no safe haven within Nigeria.
He emphasised that civilian protection remains central to its operations, with ongoing improvements in intelligence validation, targeting, and mission oversight to minimise collateral damage. Citizens are urged to remain vigilant and support security agencies with timely and credible information.
“The Nigerian Air Force remains relentless and decisive in taking the fight to all enemies of the Nigerian state,” the CAS said. “Our commitment to restoring peace, stability, and national prosperity is unwavering.”
By PRNigeria
