NAF Commandos
COMBATING TERRORISM:
NAF Commandos
COMBATING TERRORISM: NAF Conducts Special Exercise in
Minna
Barely 2 weeks after the successful conduct of EXERCISE NA ZO
along the Kaduna-Birnin Gwari Road to prepare personnel to more
effectively checkmate the activities of bandits and kidnappers, the
Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has conducted another counter terrorism
(CT) Simulation Exercise, nicknamed EXERCISE BABBAN NAUSHI, along
Minna-Zungeru Road, Niger State. The Exercise, which involved the
employment of NAF Special Forces (SF), “THE PANTHERS”, operating in
concert with air assets as well as support elements, is another in
a series aimed at improving NAF CT posture to effectively respond
to any security threat within the country.
In his remarks during the event, the Special Guest of Honour
(SGOH), the Executive Governor of Niger State, Alhaji Abubakar Sani
Bello, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government
(SSG), Alhaji Ibrahim Matene, commended the Chief of the Air Staff
(CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, and all personnel of the NAF
for executing a well coordinated training exercise. He observed
that the current NAF leadership has demonstrated laudable resolve
to ensure that its officers and airmen/airwomen have the required
capacity for the effective performance of their duties. He added
that the Exercise was timely and well thought out as it would have
a long-lasting effect towards enhancing the security of Niger State
and its environs. “We commend the Chief of the Air Staff for his
visionary leadership that has led to significant transformation in
virtually all areas of the Service in the last 4 years”, he
said.
Speaking further, Governor Abubakar stated that, despite its
best efforts, Niger State had also had its fair share of security
challenges, especially in 4 Local Government Areas (LGAs). He
however noted that in the last few months a number of joint
operations, involving the NAF as well as sister Services and other
security agencies, had been conducted to dislodge armed bandits
from the affected areas, with commendable successes recorded. He
however requested for the deployment of additional air assets to
Niger State to give more potency to the joint operations against
the bandits. Governor Abubakar said he was impressed by the
effective execution of the exercise as well as the precision of the
air strikes by the NAF attack aircraft. “EXERCISE BABBAN NAUSHI
could signal the end of armed banditry in Niger State. We have seen
the impact of your air operations and we need more”, he said. The
SGOH emphasized that the Niger State Government, on its part, would
continue to support the NAF, sister Services and other security
agencies to enable them perform their duties more effectively.
In his remarks, the CAS recalled that since assumption of office
his desire has been to bequeath a “highly professional and
disciplined force through capacity building initiatives for
effective, efficient and timely employment of air power in response
to Nigeria’s national security imperatives”. He noted that this
necessitated having the right organizational structure, the right
platforms and equipment as well as the right institutional and
human capacity. He observed that much had been done, in the last 4
years, to restructure the NAF for better service delivery; through
the establishment of 2 new staff branches at Headquarters NAF as
well as 2 new field Commands, including the Special Operations
Command, the host of EXERCISE BABBAN NAUSHI. As for the right mix
of platforms and equipment, the CAS reported that the NAF was
extremely fortunate because through the Federal Government’s
immense support, the Service had been able to acquire 19 new
platforms and reactivate 20 erstwhile unserviceable ones, with
another 18 aircraft already ordered awaiting delivery. This, he
said, had made it possible for 10 aircraft to be deployed for
Exercise BABBAN HAUSHI.
Air Marshal Abubakar noted, however, that it was in the area of
having the right human capacity that his Administration had
invested most significantly, with an unprecedented number of
personnel trained in different categories of air and ground
operations both locally and abroad. He observed that series of
simulation/training exercises, like BABBAN NAUSHI, were being
conducted to sharpen the skills of NAF SF personnel and flying
units to enable them be more effective and efficient in the conduct
of their operations. He said the exercises afford opportunities to
interrogate processes and procedures in order to identify gaps with
a view to bridging them for enhanced performance in real combat
scenarios. While reiterating the primacy of Air Power as a critical
requirement for victory in modern warfare, the CAS remarked that
such exercises also provide opportunities to test the efficacy of
force protection measures in order to ensure that NAF Bases and air
assets are properly secured to enable unhindered Air Power
employment for optimal effects. He said the NAF would therefore
continue to carry out such exercises because of the derivable
benefits, while highlighting that the next one would be conducted
in the Southwest of the Country. Air Marshal Abubakar restated the
NAF’s unalloyed commitment towards ensuring the safety and security
of Nigeria and Nigerians.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Air Officer Commanding
Special Operations Command (AOC SOC), Air Vice Marshal James Gwani,
said the Exercise, which was the second to be conducted within the
last 2 weeks, was driven by the obvious need to develop tactics and
doctrine of the NAF SF. He said the Exercise would further enable
troops to appreciate the importance of timely logistics for
enhanced combat effectiveness as well as perfecting the skills of
the NAF SF, “THE PANTHERS”, in responding to any act of unrest
within the Country. The Exercise, according to him, was a
culmination of several weeks of training by the elite SF personnel
and had been put together to showcase the capability of the NAF, in
combating terrorism.
Highlights of the occasion included the operational briefing and
giving of orders by the Commander 271 NAF Detachment Birnin Gwari,
Group Captain Idorenyin Bassey, along with his sub-unit and
component commanders, which was held behind closed doors. This was
followed by execution of the operational plan which featured live
firing of rockets from NAF fixed and rotary wing attack aircraft;
insertion, by fast-roping, of NAF SF elements and movement of teams
into the objective area as well as subsequent arrest of the
suspected armed bandits; extraction of the assault team by road and
evacuation of a casualty by air, while being provided with close
air support by an attack helicopter overhead the objective. A
special feature of the exercise was the logistics re-supply by
tactical air drop to replenish the assaulting forces who were
simulated to have run out of ammunition during the raid.
IBIKUNLE DARAMOLA
Air Commodore
Director of Public Relations and Information
Nigerian Air Force