‘NAF Has Eradicated Boko Haram Frontline Leadership, Logistics Bases’ Says Air Chief

Paul Obi in Abuja

The Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Vice Marshal Sadique Abubakar saturday said the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has eradicated Boko Haram frontline leadership and several of the terrorist group’s logistics bases.

Abubakar stated this when he delivered a lecture to students of Senior Course 40 of the Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC), Jaji, Kaduna State with the title ‘The Nigerian Air Force in Contemporary Warfare; the Chief of Air Staff’s Vision for Future Engagements.’

According to him, “Nigerian Air Force air strikes in the North East have devastated and coerced the insurgents by limiting their freedom of action to operate openly and in mass, as was the case before. Equally, these punitive strikes have eradicated the insurgents’ ‘frontline’ leadership and logistics bases, thereby reducing their operational capability.”

The CAS added that given the current precarious situation Nigeria operates in and the rampant cases of conflicts, “the Armed Forces must prepare for the conduct of war and secure military victories until peace is restored politically. Indeed, the war fighting mission of an armed force will determine how it is organised, equipped, and trained.”

He stressed that despite efforts to prove standards and NAF operations, “equipping and sustaining a balanced air force, therefore, is one of the greatest challenges facing the Nigerian Air Force today.”

The lecture was followed by a stimulating interactive session during which some of the staff members and students of the College asked questions that gave the CAS the opportunity to expound on his lecture.

The Commandant of AFCSC Jaji, Air Vice Marshal Dambo, commended the CAS for the lecture and interacting with the staff and students of the College, especially on a Saturday.

He also applauded NAF’s vision and the speed with which the CAS has moved to actualise the vision, adding that Air Marshal Abubakar is a motivator, who has set a high standard for the office of the CAS.