Air Force Deploys New Assets To Tackle Middle Belt Insecurity
The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hasan Bala Abubakar, has pledged that the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) will sustain intensified air operations across the Middle Belt until lasting peace is achieved.
His assurance follows the deployment of additional air assets under Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS), in response to the recent brutal killing of over 200 residents in Yelwata, Benue State, by armed assailants suspected to be herders.
Abubakar made this known on Tuesday during a visit to the headquarters of Tactical Air Command in Makurdi, where he assessed the impact of ongoing operations.
The visit came amid a fresh wave of attacks that have displaced scores of communities across Benue, Nasarawa, and Taraba states, leaving behind destroyed homes and a deepening humanitarian crisis.
The CAS said, “Our aircraft have continued to conduct surveillance, armed reconnaissance, close air support, and precision strike missions with remarkable success.”
Abubakar assured that the Air Force will not retreat until peace is restored in the troubled areas.
“As long as peace is threatened, our resolve remains unshaken.
“The Nigerian Air Force will continue to deliver timely, decisive air support in synergy with sister services, ensuring the protection of lives and properties while advancing our mission of restoring peace to the Middle Belt and beyond,” he said.
According to him, coordinated air and ground operations have “led to the dismantling of several militia camps, bandit enclaves, and criminal hideouts.”
He was joined by the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede; a representative of the Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Olusegun Ferreira; the OPWS Commander; as well as Maritime and Air Component Commanders
In a statement by NAF’s Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, the service chiefs agreed that only a joint operational approach could effectively tackle the scale of violence and restore public confidence.
Abubakar said, “The ongoing operations are part of a broader goal to create a secure environment where residents can live and conduct their legitimate activities without fear”.
Air Force Deploys New Assets To Tackle Middle Belt Insecurity is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
