A security analyst, Amb. Abdullahi Bakoji Adamu, has identified intelligence failure as the most significant risk associated with aerial bombardments targeting forest-based bandit groups, including operations in areas such as Sambisa Forest. He warned that misidentification of targets could result in civilian casualties, property destruction, displacement, and reputational damage to the state.
Bakoji made the remarks in an exclusive interview with Daily Post while reacting to comments by Islamic cleric Ahmad Abubakar Gumi. During his Ramadan Tafsir in Kaduna, Gumi cautioned against the use of aerial bombardments in efforts to flush out bandits from forests across the country. He argued that while firm and coordinated action is necessary to tackle banditry, deploying bombs in forest operations poses serious risks to innocent communities living within or around affected areas. The cleric also endorsed the establishment of the Nigerian Forest Security Service (NFSS) as part of broader security reforms.
Responding, Bakoji acknowledged these concerns but maintained that aerial power remains a legitimate and effective security tool when properly deployed. According to him, forest-based armed groups operating from hardened camps can be targeted with calibrated air power, provided there is credible and actionable intelligence. He noted that airstrikes can degrade logistics, neutralize high-value targets, and disrupt command structures, particularly in inaccessible terrain where ground forces face mobility constraints.
However, he stressed that bombing alone cannot secure territory or dismantle criminal networks permanently. “Bombing is a tool, not a strategy,” he said, emphasizing that air operations must be integrated with precision ground missions, intelligence-led raids, and stabilization efforts to prevent regrouping.
Bakoji further referenced global best practices in counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism, which emphasize intelligence dominance through human intelligence (HUMINT), signals intelligence (SIGINT), and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities. He concluded that the debate should focus not on whether air power should be used, but on how it is deployed with precision, credible intelligence, and sustained follow-through operations.
