Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has inauguarted a commando village at Ipetu-Ijesha in Osun State.
It said the village would be used to train personnel in jungle warfare.
NAF Headquarters said the Commando Village would host “training of personnel in specific area of needs, such as jungle warfare, should the NAF Special Forces be required to contribute in dealing with internal security challenges in the South-south or South-west of the country”.
Speaking during the commissioning, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, who was represented by the Air Officer Commanding (AOC), Ground Training Command (GTC), Air Vice Marshal Idi Amin, disclosed that the event marked the fulfillment of his promise during Exercise Buje Ekun in December 2019.
He said the promise was to improve the training facilities at NAF Base, Ipetu-Ijesha for the training of personnel in specific area of needs, such as jungle warfare, should the NAF Special Forces be required to contribute in dealing with internal security challenges.
The CAS noted that in contemporary times, insecurities around the world were more often caused by non-state actors and are fought in built-up areas such as towns and villages. Accordingly, the CAS maintained that there was need to give personnel training in such environments, which have their own complexities, in order to familiarise them with such terrains.
He therefore charged the instructors and students to make the best use of the facilities to develop the right operational skills, whilst ensuring proper maintenance of the village.
