In a statement the defense headquarters said the operation, which came on the heels of credible intelligence, took place on April 17 at the town of Durbada in the northeastern state of Borno.

Some structures which served as hideouts for the Boko Haram group were also destroyed during the air operation, said the defense headquarters.

The official statement declined to give the exact number of Boko Haram leaders killed during the airstrikes but said the fighter jets dispatched for the operation had scored "accurate hits within the target area which resulted in the death of some of the terrorists."

"Others, who were seen attempting to flee the area, were taken out in follow-on attacks," added the defense headquarters.

Boko Haram has posed enormous security and humanitarian challenges in the Lake Chad basin, including Chad, Cameroon, Benin, and Niger, besides Nigeria, according to the United Nations.