Nigerian Air Force Dedicated to Securing Nigeria, Air Chief Abubakar Assures

• NAF hits Boko Haram fighters

Michael Olugbode in Maiduguri

The Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshall Sadique Abubakar has assured the nation of the dedication of the Nigerian Air Force to ensuring the security of the entire nation and warding off the present threat to Nigeria’s nationhood.

Abubakar was in Maiduguri weekend to celebrate Sallah with men and officers of the Air Force involved in the ongoing counter-insurgency war in the North East.

The Air Chief, who also unveiled a multi-purpose hall named after a former Air Officer, late Air Vice Marshall Ekpenyong Edem, said: “We are going to keep working just like the President directed and we are going to ensure that not only in the Northeast but that all parts of the country are secured.”

He said: “I am here in Maiduguri to convey the President’s appreciation to the men fighting here. He asked the service chiefs to convey this information to our constituencies, and my constituency here is the Air Force, and that we should work much harder.”

He added that: “Nigeria is endowed in term of resources and all that is required is for all Nigerians to put in their best in ensuring that the country moves forward as a united entity.

“We are very excited with the progress we are making here, there is no doubt so much has changed from 2014 till now. Those of you in Maiduguri, I know can attest to that. The situation has changed.”

On Edem, who was immortalised by the NAF with the naming of the hall, Abubakar said: “He was a very hardworking and diligent Nigerian that has contributed to the progress of Nigeria. Some of us had the opportunity to serve with him and I can tell you he did a lot to add value to what we have on ground now.”

He noted that the idea to immortalise the deceased highly rated officer was to “send message to young officers that when you work hard, even when you are not around people will recognise your contributions, and that was exactly what we did.”

The wife of the deceased, Elder (Mrs.) Bernadette Edem said it was a great honour to the family and Cross River state for her late husband to be honoured by NAF in faraway Maiduguri.

She advised every wife of military officers to always be supportive of their husband and keep the home front running since their husbands cannot be always around.

Meanwhile, the Eid-el-Fitr celebration on Friday was a bad day for Boko Haram terrorists, as the Nigerian Air Force pounded their base in Parisu and Takwala in Borno state.

The Air Task Force (ATF) of Operation Lafiya Dole neutralised many of the Boko Haram fighters through the successful air strikes.

NAF’s Director of Public Relations and Information, AVM Olatokunbo Adesanya, confirmed in a statement yesterday in Abuja, that the operation was conducted on Friday.

“The mission followed the discovery, by NAF Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) platforms, of activities of BHTs in the 2 locations. Consequently, the ATF detailed 2 NAF Alpha Jet aircraft, armed with rockets and cannons, to interdict the locations.

“Overhead the objective, the NAF fighter aircraft acquired and attacked the objectives with rockets and cannons. At the end of the mission, it was observed that the attack platforms successfully engaged the remnants of the terrorists hibernating within the settlements and consequently neutralised them,” he said.

Adesanya said the NAF would continue to deploy its platforms to conduct intensive ISR missions aimed at discovering the locations of possible remnants of BHTs in the entire Northeast.