The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) says it is intensifying efforts in the fight against insurgency and other crimes in the country.
The Director of Public Relations and Information, NAF Headquarters, AVM Olatokunbo Adesanya, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
Adesanya said NAF and other services had since 2015 intensified efforts to decimate the insurgents.
He said the terrorists no longer held any of the country’s territories “not even hoisting their flags in these areas,’’ adding that they were now attacking soft targets.
He said that what the service was doing basically, especially in the fight against the insurgents, was Intelligence Surveillance Recognisance (ISR) mission.
He said the aim of ISR was to gather intelligence which NAF’s fighter jets would later share with surface forces in the battle field and launch attacks on the insurgents’ hideouts and their logistics.
The director added that the service had devoted a lot of resources, especially in the area of intelligence gathering, which led to the recovery of some of the Chibok girls and other hostages held by the insurgents.
“With intelligence gathering, we are able to bomb their logistics and supply lines. And these usually cripple their plans to regroup and restrategise to attack soft targets.
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“We have been doing these on regular basis and it has gone a long way in disorganising the terrorists,” he said.
Adesanya also said that apart from the aerial support in the fight against the insurgents, NAF had contributed immensely to the ground troops.
“We have also contributed immensely in the area of evacuating victims of the insurgency to a safer place for better treatment, as well as supplying logistics to the troops, especially food, to feed the personnel located in remote areas in the North-East,” he said.
He said the service had also ensured that there was peace throughout the country by deploying its personnel to all the six geo-political zones.
“In the South-South, we are on steady air patrol and this has enabled the service to destroy several oil barges containing stolen crude oil.
“We are ever on the lookout for pipeline vandals and other miscreants who pose threats to the nation’s critical assets.
“In the South-West, we have been able to contain oil bunkering and other criminal activities, especially in the Arepo Area of Ogun, and other threats from other zones of the country.
“In the South-East, we have also deployed our personnel to ensure peace in the area, especially during the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) disturbance,” he said.
The director said the service would continue to ensure the security of the country, including protection of lives and property. (NAN)
