LAGOS, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- Nigeria said on Sunday that its air force destroyed a hideout of armed bandits and killed scores of them in the northwest Zamfara state, following recent attacks on innocent civilians there.
Air force spokesperson Ibikunle Daramola said an operation was conducted at dawn on Friday, following intelligence reports that the compound was being used by armed bandits to launch attacks.
The Air Task Force dispatched an Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance aircraft, which confirmed the presence of heavily armed bandits at the location, he said in a statement.
Daramola said surface troops later raided the compound and recovered some motorcycles abandoned by the fleeing criminals.
Hundreds of people have been killed in attacks linked to cattle-rustling gangs in Nigeria's northwest Zamfara state this year alone.
Cattle raiding has become rampant recently in Nigeria, with the northern part of the most populous African country being the hardest hit.
