NAF: Leading from the frontlines
Since the fight against insurgency, banditry and other violent crimes in the North Eastern part of Nigeria began over a decade ago, Nigeria’s security agencies especially the military and the Air Force have been at the forefront at restoring peace and normalcy to the affected parts of the country. The military is at the frontlines […]
Since the fight against insurgency, banditry and other violent crimes in the North Eastern part of Nigeria began over a decade ago, Nigeria’s security agencies especially the military and the Air Force have been at the forefront at restoring peace and normalcy to the affected parts of the country.
The military is at the frontlines of the battle against insurgency and has consequently come under increased scrutiny by members of the public to ascertain if the strategy adopted by the military in tackling and prosecuting the battle against insurgency and banditry is achieving the desired result.
At the forefront is the Nigerian Air Force (NAF). air assets and the deployment of air power is generally seen as decisive in modern warfare, including asymmetric warfare as waged by the insurgents.
Deployment of air asset gives better control of the ground war. The enemy cannot move freely nor hide effectively. With air asset the enemy’s supply lines can be effectively crippled and their communication network disrupted. Command of the air space around enemy territory make ground operations and mop-up operations easy.
The question, however, is how has the NAF performed in the deployment of air asset against Boko Haram ISWAP, and banditry? The exploits of the NAF in recent times in the battle against insurgency, banditry and general security of lives and property has been attributed to the tactical and managerial prowess of the Chief of Air Staff, CAS, Air Marshall Sadique Abubakar. His ability to handle the challenges faced by his men at all fronts and also synergise with other security agencies to ensure safety and security of Nigeria and Nigerians is self-evident in the measures he has put in place to boost operational readiness, human capacity development and staff welfare.
In the area of operational readiness and in furtherance of the strategic thrusts of President Muhammadu Buhari, the NAF has established 13 new units across the country in the past four and a half years through which huge successes have been recorded in the fight against insurgency, banditry and other violent crimes.
The new units include: the Quick Response Groups (QRGs) and Wings (QRWs) as well as Detachments at Ipetu Ijesha in Osun State, Gusau in Zamfara State, Owerri in Imo State, Daura and Katsina in Katsina State, Gembu in Taraba State and Agatu in Benue State as well as a Combat Search and Rescue Group (CSARG) at Kerang in Plateau State.
Apart from establishment of new units, the NAF, in line with federal government’s commitment to the security of the nation has also acquired 22 brand new aircraft in the last four and half years with another 16 due for delivery soon. The additional air assets include an Mi-17 helicopter, which is expected to arrive the country by April this year as well as three JF-17 Thunder multi-role fighter aircraft and 12 Super Tucano attack aircraft that are expected to be delivered in November this year and early 2022 respectively. These new acquisitions, according to Abubakar, are designed to add significant impetus to the fight against insurgency.
Refurbishment of several abandoned assets has also been prioritised. Only recently, the Air Force successfully refurbished a C130 aircraft in-house, to aid troop deployment. This saved the federal government huge foreign exchange expenditure.
Sadique Abubakar declared at the acceptance and commissioning ceremony of the resuscitated aircraft that the C130 fleet: “is very critical in what we are doing all over the country, it will be deployed to move the troops, equipment as well as arms and ammunitions”.
It is noteworthy that this would be the second time that the air force is able to handle major maintenance with the Periodic Depot Maintenance (PDM) under the current Chief of Air Staff. Currently, the NAF is building the required human capacity for such in-house maintenance without outside help.
This is good news, and indicates the preparedness of the leadership of the air force to look inward in boosting the operational capability of the nation’s air assets in the discharge of its core responsibility of providing air support in conflict situations.
The operational capability of the NAF is on a steady rise. Boko Haram and elements of ISWAP have been brought to their knees especially in the northeast. News updates from the Theatre Command of Operation Lafia Dole, the operational code name for the military operation in the northeast, shows that the air component has been carrying out relentless bombardment of insurgents’ hideout and giving the leeway for ground troops to carryout mop-up operations.
Also in a recent operation in the northwest, the NAF, in collaboration with the Nigeria Police, successfully deployed air assets to smoke out armed bandits from their camps in areas of Kaduna State, neutralising several of them and destroying some of their logistics supplies in the process. The air strikes also paved way for ground forces to conduct mop-up operations, supported by NAF combat helicopters. In all, no fewer than 5 commanders of Ansaru and a dozen armed bandits were neutralised in the operation.
Under the leadership of the current CAS, the NAF has also made significant investment in human capacity development and staff welfare. The CAS believes that maximising airmen and women’s potentials and expanding their abilities would enable them to contribute to the overall effectiveness of the force. Apart from operational preparedness and air asset acquisition, staff welfare has also been a dominant concern, and the NAF, under his leadership has given premium to staff welfare specifically in the provision of new accommodation and refurbishment of existing ones towards ensuring that airmen and women live in a conducive environment to be able to carry out their constitutional responsibilities.
It is incontrovertible that with the renewed tactical prowess of the NAF, the leadership of the current CAS, in collaboration with other security agencies, the fight against insurgency, terrorism, banditry and other violent crimes in the country will soon be a thing of the past.
Aminu, a schoolteacher, wrote in from Farm Center, Kano.