Abubakar
Boss
Air Chief Tasks Troops to Sustain Onslaughts on Bandits
in North-West
The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar,
has tasked Nigerian Air Force (NAF) personnel of the Air Component
of Operation HADARIN DAJI not to relent in their efforts but to
press on until acts of banditry, kidnapping and other forms of
criminality are brought to an end. He charged the personnel to
maintain control of the operational space and exploit every
intelligence resource. “We must continue to remain focused by
maintaining the highest level of vigilance and combat readiness
that the NAF is known for in order to rid our communities of
criminal elements”, he added.
The CAS made this known on 1 August 2020, during the luncheon
organized by the NAF to celebrate the Eid-El-Kabir with frontline
troops in Katsina. This is just as His Excellency, the Executive
Governor of Katsina State, Right Honourable Aminu Bello Masari, who
was the Guest of Honour at the luncheon, commended NAF personnel
for their substantial sacrifices in the fight against armed
banditry.
In his remarks, the CAS highlighted that the tradition of having
lunch with frontline troops during festivities was borne out of the
need to strengthen the bond of comradeship, foster espirit-de-corps
and create a more relaxed atmosphere for troops to unwind whilst
remaining geared up to face the tasks ahead. He noted that the
luncheons also served as avenues to celebrate and appreciate the
hard work, dedication, resilience and patriotism of the personnel
as well as convey his support for the smooth and timely execution
of their assigned missions.
Air Marshal Abubakar, while remembering the sacrifices of all
those who had paid the supreme price in service to the Nation,
prayed that God would grant their families comfort, even as the NAF
continues to acknowledge their efforts with gestures like the Group
Life Insurance and other incentives. “For the serving gallant
personnel that you are, we will continue to provide necessary tools
to enhance your precise and effective prosecution of operations
such as infrastructure, modern equipment, communication, vehicles,
personal protective equipment and so on”, he added.
Speaking further, Air Marshal Abubakar, disclosed that the
planned construction of an aircraft hangar for the NAF at the Umar
Musa Yar’adua Airport Katsina, through direct labour, would soon
commence. He noted that the emplacement of the hangar would add
value to efforts at enhancing aircraft serviceability by providing
shelter for the aircraft and maintenance personnel from the harsh
weather conditions. The CAS equally revealed that some of the
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) being procured for the NAF would be
stationed in Katsina and Gusau, to cover the North West, and Gombe
for the North East. He stated that steps were also being taken to
improve the development and employment of NAF Special Forces in
order to keep them motivated to remain the excellent lethal force
they had become.
The CAS commended the Air Officer Commanding Special Operations
Command (AOC SOC), Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Charles Owho, the Air
Component Commander Operation HADARIN DAJI, Commander 213 FOB,
officers and airmen/airwomen in Katsina for their exemplary
conduct, professionalism and commitment. He especially lauded the
efforts of the NAF engineers and technicians in maintaining high
level of aircraft serviceability despite disruptions to the
aircraft spares logistics supply chain caused by flight
restrictions imposed due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. He also
expressed his satisfaction with the performance of the Air
Component in the recently concluded subsidiary Operation RUWAN
WUTA, which, he said, achieved success in significantly degrading
the capacity of the bandits and curtailing their ability to carry
out attacks on innocent citizens thereby enabling friendly forces
to conduct necessary operations successfully. The resultant effect
of the over 1,300 hours of air operations conducted since January
2020, the CAS said, was the arresting of the deteriorating security
situation in the North West Zone, particularly in Katsina
State.
Air Marshal Abubakar reminded the bandits that no forest would
serve as safe havens for them, as the NAF would smoke them out to
ensure innocent lives are protected. He therefore called on the
bandits to lay down their arms and surrender to appropriate
authorities or face the consequences.
The CAS expressed the gratitude of the Service to the
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, President
Muhammadu Buhari, for his untiring support which had enabled the
NAF to more effectively execute its statutory roles. He equally
thanked Governor Masari as well as the Emir of Katsina and the good
people of Katsina State for their cooperation and support to the
NAF, which he noted included the provision of land for the
establishment of the NAF Bases in Katsina and Daura.
He pledged the commitment of the Service to reciprocate by
exhibiting the highest levels of professionalism in the conduct of
all its operations.
In his remarks, Governor Masari, while appreciating the immense
contributions of the NAF in addressing the security challenges
facing Katsina State and the entire North West Zone, expressed
delight that construction of the aircraft hangar, along with
ancillary facilities, would soon commence. He equally lauded the
steps being taken to acquire UAVs that would operate from Katsina,
noting that this would undoubtedly add impetus to operations in the
area. The Governor noted that the security challenges being
experienced in the State were definitely surmountable with the
right kind of support from the general public. He stressed that the
people would need to provide credible information to the Armed
Forces and other security agencies whilst denying same to the
bandits. According to him, “the bandits are intertwined within the
communities so sometimes it may be difficult for the NAF or the
Army to distinguish them from the locals in order to conduct
offensive operations devoid of collateral damage. The locals must
stop giving support, information or safe havens to these
criminals”.
Speaking further, Honourable Masari added that the State
Government, on its part, had initiated action to amend extant laws
with a view to enhancing the authority of village heads and local
authorities to bring real governance and policing closer to the
people. He said this would compliment ongoing efforts to emplace a
robust community policing structure, whilst addressing the gross
deficit in the number of police personnel available at local
levels, which, he said, was in the range of an average of about 30
policemen to about 100 villages. He emphasized that if such actions
were not taken, even if the bandits were wiped out by the military,
another generation of criminal elements would quickly take their
place in the absence of governance and adequate policing. Governor
Masari ended his address by assuring that his Government would
continue to support all operations of the NAF and sister Services
in Katsina State to ensure the peace and security of the people of
the State.
Other dignitaries in attendance at Katsina luncheon included the
Deputy Governor of Katsina State, the Secretary to the Katsina
State Government, Speaker of the State House of Assembly as well as
other State Government officials and heads of security agencies in
the State along with Branch Chiefs and Directors from Headquarters
NAF and other senior military officers.
In keeping with the CAS’ tradition of spending festive periods
with the NAF troops in the frontlines, similar luncheons were also
held at 207 Quick Response Group (QRG) Gusau in Zamfara State, 21
Quick Response Wing (QRW) Agatu in Benue State, 22 QRW Lafia in
Nasarawa States and 23 QRW Gembu in Taraba State yesterday, 31 July
2020. Similarly, the CAS, represented by the Chief of Policy and
Plans, AVM Oladayo Amao, and the Chief Communication Information
Systems, AVM Paul Dimfwina, also feted troops of the Air Task Force
Operation LAFIYA DOLE in Maiduguri and Yola, respectively, while in
Sokoto the AOC Tactical Air Command, AVM Olusegun Philip, stood in
for the CAS as he celebrated the Sallah with troops of the 119
Composite Group Sokoto today, 1 August 2020.
IBIKUNLE DARAMOLA
Air Commodore
Director of Public Relations and Information
Nigerian Air Force
1 August 2020