By Kingsley Omonobi
ABUJA — The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has described 2025 as one of its most decisive operational years, recording the neutralisation of 2,351 terrorists through sustained, intelligence-driven air operations conducted across multiple theatres nationwide.
The achievements were recorded through 274 Air Interdiction (AI) missions, executed in 379 combat sorties, according to the Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame.
He explained that the missions targeted terrorist strongholds, logistics hubs, training camps, and critical mobility corridors, adding that the figures exclude hundreds of additional airpower missions involving Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), close air support, and armed reconnaissance.
“The AI missions alone accumulated approximately 800 flight hours, underscoring the NAF’s sustained reach, persistence, and operational dominance,” Ejodame said.
Beyond the immediate neutralisation of fighters, Ejodame noted that the air interdiction campaign delivered decisive operational effects across major threat corridors in the North-East, North-West, and North-Central regions.
He said sustained precision strikes disrupted supply chains, severed mobility routes, and degraded leadership structures linking terrorist enclaves, denying hostile elements freedom of movement and sanctuary.
“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,” he added.
According to him, the campaign has resulted in a measurable contraction of hostile networks and a marked improvement in security across several previously threatened areas.
In the maritime and energy security domain, Ejodame disclosed that precision air operations in the Niger Delta yielded strategic gains, leading to the destruction of hundreds of illegal refining reservoirs, 126 storage tanks, and several boats used by oil thieves and criminal syndicates.
He said the operations significantly degraded the capacity of illicit actors to finance violence and organised crime, improved oil production, and strengthened national economic resilience.
Commenting on the operational outcomes, the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, reaffirmed the Service’s resolve to sustain pressure on threats to national security.
“The outcomes recorded in 2025 clearly demonstrate the growing precision, effectiveness, and lethality of Nigerian Air Force air power,” he said.
Air Marshal Aneke attributed the successes to intelligence-driven targeting, improved platform availability, enhanced crew proficiency, and seamless integration with surface forces and other security agencies.
He also credited sustained Federal Government support under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, citing investments in modern air platforms, personnel welfare, training, infrastructure, and enabling policies as critical to the NAF’s enhanced operational readiness.
Looking ahead, the CAS assured Nigerians that the NAF would intensify kinetic air operations in 2026, while maintaining strict adherence to Rules of Engagement and International Humanitarian Law.
“The Nigerian Air Force will remain relentless and decisive in taking the fight to all enemies of the Nigerian state. Criminal and terrorist elements will find no safe haven anywhere within our borders,” he declared.
He urged misguided elements to renounce violence and embrace peace, warning that those who persist would continue to face precise and overwhelming air power.
The NAF also reassured citizens that the protection of civilians remains central to its operations, with continuous improvements in intelligence validation, targeting processes, and mission oversight to minimise collateral damage.
Nigerians were encouraged to remain vigilant, support security agencies with timely and credible information, and maintain confidence in the Armed Forces’ commitment to restoring lasting peace, stability, and national prosperity.
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