NAF, DSS, Police Strategise
NAF, DSS, Police Strategise Against Kidnapping, Armed
Banditry
As part of inter-agency cooperation to address security challenges
in the country, especially the issue of kidnapping and armed
banditry along the Abuja-Kaduna Highway and Kaduna-Birnin Gwari
axis, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has reiterated its commitment to
support the Nigeria Police, Department of State Services (DSS) and
other security agencies with real time geospatial and imagery
intelligence whilst making available its air assets for the
conduct of tactical air support missions and increasing the
frequency of air reconnaissance in the affected areas.
The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Baba
Abubakar, disclosed this today, 3 April 2019, while playing host to
the Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Abubakar
Adamu, and the Director General DSS (DG DSS), Yusuf Bichi, at
Headquarters NAF, Abuja.
The IGP and DG DSS on arrival at HQ NAF immediately went into a
closed door meeting with the CAS before undertaking a guided tour
of facilities at the newly established, state-of- the-art
Geospatial Intelligence Data Centre (GIDC) and Strategic Air
Operations Centre (SAOC).
The GIDC, which is equipped with high-tech computer hardware and
software, was established to enhance the acquisition, analysis,
interpretation and exploitation of imagery and geospatial
information to provide actionable intelligence for the Armed Forces
and other security agencies, while the equally well-equipped SAOC
is expected to greatly enhance the coordination of air operations
in support of internal security operations across the Country.
While inspecting the facilities, the Acting IGP expressed
delight and satisfaction with the cutting edge technologies and
sophisticated computer software at the Centres. He said the essence
of the visit to the CAS was to explore possibilities of using NAF
air assets and the products of the GIDC to improve the
effectiveness of operations to deal with issue of kidnapping and
armed banditry, especially along the Kaduna-Abuja Highway and other
parts of the country including Kaduna, Zamfara, Katsina, Niger and
Kogi States.
According to him, as a result of the onslaught by security
agencies against the armed bandits in Zamfara State, the criminals
had moved towards the Abuja axis to carry out their nefarious
activities. “I felt that as a security agency, we need to synergize
with other security outfits. We don’t have the air capability but
the NAF has them.
With this we can have a joint operation to deal with this
security issue”, he said. The IGP appreciated the CAS for making
NAF air assets available for the operation and also availing the
NPF and DSS of the capabilities of the GIDC and SAOC. He also
congratulated him for emplacing such facilities and making them
available to other security agencies to enhance internal security
operations for the benefit of the Nigerian people.
IBIKUNLE DARAMOLA
Air Commodore
Director of Public Relations and Information
Nigerian Air Force