The Nigerian Army troops have intensified offensive operations in Bauchi State, overrunning multiple bandit camps and disrupting logistics networks in a sustained push to deny criminal groups operational footholds.
The operation, conducted by troops of the 33 Artillery Brigade in conjunction with a team from the Office of the National Security Adviser, targeted enclaves within Dajin Madam Forest, including the Azuge and Hari camps, long identified as key bandit strongholds.
Military sources confirmed that several bandits were neutralised during the clearance, while others fled under pressure, abandoning critical assets and support structures within the forest.
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Troops also took into custody family members of the fleeing bandits, comprising six women and 13 children, while destroying motorcycles used for mobility to further degrade the group’s operational capacity.
A search of the camps led to the recovery of assorted items, including an AK-47 magazine, tramadol packs, police and military uniforms, and horses, indicating the group’s reliance on mobility, drug use, and impersonation tactics to sustain operations.
Troops have since established a firm hold position in the forest to consolidate gains and prevent re-infiltration.
In a follow-up operation in Mainamaji, conducted as part of wider exploitation efforts after recent air strikes, troops recorded no contact, suggesting that sustained pressure has significantly disrupted bandit presence and movement across the axis.
Ground operations, combined with prior air strikes, are fragmenting bandit formations, forcing withdrawal and reducing their ability to maintain fixed camps.
The targeting of logistics, mobility assets, and support structures reflects a deliberate effort to dismantle the operational ecosystem of bandit groups, limiting their capacity to regroup or sustain prolonged activity.