NAF Personnel Women of War
NAF Personnel Women of War
NAF Establishes Military Base in
Birnin-Gwari
The Executive Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has
lauded the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar,
for taking steps, including the emplacement of necessary facilities
as well as the deployment of air assets and Special Forces (SF)
personnel, to bring the menace of armed banditry and kidnapping to
an end.
The Governor disclosed this while commissioning the 271 Nigerian
Air Force Detachment (271 NAF Det) at Birinin Gwari in Kaduna
State. He said the Detachment, which was established to serve as
support Base and a blocking force for troops in Operations DIRAN
MIKIYA and SHARAN DAJI, would be crucial to the success of
Anti-Banditry Operations in the Northwest Geopolitical Zone of the
Country.
Governor El-Rufai, who was the Special Guest of Honour (SGOH) at
the ceremony, said it was gratifying to know that the Armed Forces
of Nigeria, particularly the NAF, was not leaving any stone
unturned to see to the end of the menace of terrorism and armed
banditry. He said the establishment of the 271 NAF Det Birnin Gwari
could not have come at a better time, especially now that the
country was grappling with various internal security challenges. He
expressed confidence that the NAF would, as always, commit itself
to professional conduct and discipline in the discharge of its
assigned roles and responsibilities, while assuring that the
efforts and sacrifices of the Service would not be in vain. In his
words, “the nation appreciates your selfless sacrifice for the
peace and security of our communities”. He further assured that the
Federal Government would continue to strive to ensure the
implementation of policies and projects towards improved welfare of
troops, especially those in theatres of operations. Mallam El-Rufai
reiterated the Federal Government’s absolute commitment to the
total defeat of Boko Haram and other forms of criminality in the
Country. He equally pledged that the Kaduna State Government would
continue to support the NAF in all its locations in the State,
including Birnin Gwari.
Speaking further, the Governor thanked the Emir of Birnin Gwari
for providing part of his farmland for use in establishing the
Detachment, which he said was in keeping with the long-standing
customs of the Northern traditional institution. He equally
commended the CAS for the support received from the NAF in various
areas including the acquisition of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for the
Kaduna State Internal Security Surveillance System, which was
commissioned by Mr President in February 2019.
He also expressed appreciation for the immense contributions
made by successive Air Officers Commanding (AOCs) of the Air
Training Command (ATC) to internal security operations in the State
which had led to a drastic reduction in criminal activities. The
Governor equally commended the forthrightness of NAF AOCs and
Commanders in turning down funding from the State Government for
security operations, since such funding was already provided by
Headquarters (HQ) NAF.
Moreover, he expressed delight that the deployment of
Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) platforms had
enhanced security operations in support of ground troops. He
however requested for the deployment of additional NAF SF personnel
for the joint patrols along Kaduna-Abuja Expressway as well as to
operations in Kajuru area of the State.
Earlier in his remarks, the CAS, expressed delight to be in
Birnin Gwari for the commissioning of the 271 NAF Det, which, he
said, was conceived barely 6 months ago, in response to the
emerging security imperatives in the area. He said the Det would
undoubtedly add impetus to the operations to neutralize and flush
out armed bandits, kidnappers and cattle rustlers from the
Northwest. He however noted that the establishment of the Det would
not have been possible without the full support of the
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of
Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari. He also recognised the immense
contributions of the National Assembly, through its Committees on
Defence and Air Force in the Senate and House of Representatives.
“The NAF is equally grateful to His Excellency, Mallam Nasir
El-Rufai, the Executive Governor of Kaduna State and the good
people of Birnin Gwari for providing the land. The NAF can only
continue to say Thank you”, he added.
The CAS emphasized that the NAF would continue to build
capacity, both human and otherwise, in order to more effectively
and efficiently respond to national security imperatives. In this
regard, he noted that the NAF had winged 92 pilots in the last 4
years, with another 117 undergoing pilot training both within and
outside the country. Air Marshal remarked that the Service had more
than tripled the number of its trained Regiment and Special Forces
personnel to man the Quick Response Groups and Wings established in
different parts of the Country, under the Special Operations
Command (SOC), in the last 4 years. These he said were done in a
bid to bring security closer to the people. He reiterated the NAF’s
firm resolve to defend the Nation’s territorial integrity whilst
dealing with all internal security threats in coordination with
sister Services and other security agencies.
In his welcome address, the AOC SOC, Air Vice Marshal Napoleon
Bali, noted that the commissioning of the 271 NAF Det was a
demonstration of the CAS’ pragmatic leadership and commitment to
ensuring the enabling environment for effective, professional
performance. He therefore pledged the Command’s determination to
ensure the security of Nigerians within its area of responsibility.
Before departing Birnin Gwari, the Governor was conducted on an
inspection of facilities already emplaced at the Detachment,
including fuel facilities, office and residential accommodation as
well as the Helipads. He was also briefed on the capabilities of
the newly acquired Agusta 109 Power Attack Helicopter, which along
with other helicopters, would be operating from the Helipads at the
271 NAF Det. Dignitaries at the event included some members of the
Kaduna State House of Assembly, the Secretary to the Kaduna State
Government, the Emir of Birnin Gwari, His Royal Highness, Mallam
Zubairu Jibril Mai Gwari ll, the Chairman of Birnin Gwari Local
Government Area (LGA), Branch Chiefs from HQ NAF as well as many
other senior NAF officers.
IBIKUNLE DARAMOLA
Air Commodore
Director of Public Relations and Information
Nigerian Air Force