Nigeria says troops kill dozens of gunmen in northwest and northeast
Security forces killed at least 30 gunmen after armed attacks in the restive northwest, Nasir Mua'zu, Katsina state's commissioner for internal affairs, said on Thursday.
He claimed 'criminals' were raiding three villages on Tuesday when they were killed by government forces.
A joint police and military operation was launched on Wednesday after hundreds of armed men attacked several villages, Mua'zu added in a statement.
He said a civilian, two soldiers and three policemen were also killed.
'Our gallant security forces successfully repelled the attackers … Thirty of the criminals were neutralised through coordinated air strikes as they attempted to escape,' Mua'zu said.
'We are working tirelessly with federal security agencies to ensure the safety of all citizens.'
Separately, in Nigeria's northeast, the military 'neutralised' 24 armed fighters in days of coordinated operations, an army statement said on Thursday.
TROOPS OF OPERATION HADIN KAI NEUTRALIZE 24 BOKO HARAM INSURGENTS AND RECOVER WEAPONS IN OFFENSIVE OPERATIONS BETWEEN 4 – 9 JULY 2025
In continuation of the series of coordinated offensive operations across the North East Theatre of operations, troops of Operation HADIN KAI… pic.twitter.com/8oTcecKGEw
— Nigerian Army (@HQNigerianArmy) July 10, 2025
Nigerian troops backed by air support and local forces killed several fighters from Boko Haram and the ISIL affiliate in West Africa Province (ISWAP) in operations between July 4 and 9, the army wrote on X.
The operations were carried out in restive Borno state and surrounding regions, said the statement by Reuben Kovangiya, an army spokesman for the military operations.
'The neutralisation of 24 insurgents with close air support underscores the determination, collaboration, and concerted efforts by the troops of OPHK [Operation Hadin Kai], to ensure terrorists are placed on the back foot, thereby creating conducive environment for socioeconomic activities to thrive in the North East region,' Kovangiya said.
Northeast Nigeria has faced attacks since the 2000s from armed gangs as well as groups like Boko Haram and ISWAP.
The Boko Haram insurgency has killed some 35,000 civilians since 2009, and more than two million people have been displaced, according to the United Nations.
Meanwhile, in the central and northwest regions, criminal gangs and banditry are rife.
Katsina is part of an area that has for years been terrorised by gangs who stage deadly raids and kidnappings and burn homes after looting them.
The gangs maintain camps in forests straddling Zamfara, Katsina, and Kaduna states in the northwest, and Niger in the country's centre, and have carried out mass kidnappings of students from schools.
Last month, state officials signed a peace pact with a dozen bandit leaders, hoping to bring lasting respite ahead of the planting season.
Nigerian authorities' claims of deadly operations against members of armed gangs have been disputed in the past.
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