The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) says it neutralised 2,351 terrorists, including their leaders, through sustained, intelligence-driven operations nationwide, in 2025.
It stated that these feats were achieved through 274 Air Interdiction (AI) missions totaling approximately 800 flight hours, conducted over 379 combat sorties, targeting terrorist strongholds, logistics hubs, training camps, and key mobility corridors.
NAF’s spokesperson, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, who revealed this in a statement on Wednesday, said the figures exclude hundreds of missions involving Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), close air support to surface forces, and armed reconnaissance operations.
He noted that the precision strikes disrupted terrorists’ supply chains, severed mobility routes, and weakened leadership structures connecting enclaves in the North-East, North-West, and North-Central regions, denying hostile elements both freedom of movement and safe havens.
‘These effects enabled surface forces to advance, reclaim contested areas, and stabilise vulnerable communities, while significantly reducing the operational tempo and morale of terrorist and bandit groups.
‘Overall, the campaign has resulted in a measurable contraction of hostile networks and a marked improvement in security across several previously threatened areas’, Ejodame said.
According to him, in the maritime and energy security domain, air operations in the Niger Delta delivered equally strategic dividends, as targeted strikes led to the destruction of hundreds of illegal refining reservoirs, 126 storage tanks, and several boats used by oil thieves and criminal syndicates.
‘These actions substantially degraded the capacity of illicit actors to finance violence and organised crime, contributed to improved oil production, and reinforced national economic resilience.
‘The success of these missions further highlights the expanding role of air power in safeguarding critical national assets and supporting Nigeria’s economic recovery’, he said.
