Four fighter aircraft were delivered yesterday to the Nigerian Air Force from Pakistan.
This is the first set of the 21 aircraft approved for procurement by President Muhammadu Buhari to boost the operations of the Air Force in the Boko Haram war and other operations, it was learnt.
The other jets are expected to be delivered in the first quarter of next year.
These are: four helicopters gunships, four medium airlift utility helicopters, three live attack aircraft and ten primary trainers.
The four Super Mushshak aircraft, said to be modernized for modern warfare, delivered to the Nigerian Air Force, yesterday, also arrived ahead of ten others which the government asked the Asian country to manufacture and subsequently sell to it for use in the counter insurgency operations in the North East.
Tag: boko haram
-
Boko Haram: Nigeria takes delivery of four fighter jets from Pakistan P9
-
Pakistan, Russia fighter jets set to join Boko Haram war
Finish off insurgents, Buratai tells troops
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) will take delivery of war -planes and helicopters from Pakistan and Russia to boost its fleet ahead of the final push against Boko Haram insurgents, it was learnt yesterday.
Nigeria has failed to procure fighter jets from the United States and Brazil.
Chief of Air Staff (CAS) Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, who broke the news in Abuja, said Air Force personnel were undergoing training in many countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Pakistan, Egypt and China.
The news came as Chief of Army Staff Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai ordered his men to end the insurgency this month.
Air Marshal Abubakar said: “We have been enjoying support from other countries. Sometimes arms procurement is shrouded in a lot of politics. Unfortunately, I’m not a politician, so I cannot say much on that. But what I can tell you is that right now we are expecting the Pakistani Chief of Air Staff in Nigeria soon. Pakistan has accepted to sell 10 trainer airplanes. And that is why the Pakistan Chief of Air Staff is coming for the induction ceremony in Kaduna.”
The Chief of Air Staff said the Air Force was assisting the Army and the Navy in the North and South fighting terrorism and militancy through operational strategy, air interdictions strategy and soft-core strategy.
He said the objective was to create an enabling environment for the ground and surface forces to operate with little or no hindrance.
He said the Service was carrying out massive reactivation of redundant aircraft and many of them are already involved in the fight against Boko Haram.
“Another sub -strategy is the reactivation of airplanes. We have embarked on the reactivation of airplanes and today we are on the 13th aircraft. What I mean by reactivation is that aircraft that were not involved in any fight before the coming of this Federal Government; they were parked before but are today part of the fight.
“The 13th aircraft as I speak to you is being worked upon in Yola and we are hoping that before the end of this month that airplane will be flying. When you train, you must reactivate the platform to be used in flying.”
He praised the competence of NAF pilots, saying: “In the last 18 months, we have flown almost 3000 hours with no incident. The pilots are among the most competent. Because the training curriculum is very clear. And that is why now in the Air Force you look at the wings, pilots wear wings. We have categorised the wings according to their skill levels.
“We also organise simulation training for our pilots, we organise evaluation visits where pilots are evaluated without any notice. We have also sent over 700 personnel of the NAF to different parts of the world to train and acquire the skills required for them to be effective.
On the incident involving an Augusta AW101 helicopter which was handed over to the NAF from the Presidential Air Fleet (PAF).
Air Marshal Abubakar said: “What happened in Makurdi was not a crash.
Immediately we received the aircraft from the Presidency, we took one of them to Kaduna to paint it into desert camouflage. They removed the seal of the President and painted it into a combat machine.
“When they finished the painting, they were supposed to go to Maiduguri but they needed to go to Makurdi to pick certain things before proceeding to Maiduguri. So the aircraft took off from Kaduna,
landed perfectly in Makurdi. They were just taxiing to go and park when the incident happened. I don’t want to pre-empt whatever investigation that is going on.
“Those same pilots were the ones that picked the 21 Chibok girls that were moved out in the night and brought them back to Maiduguri and from Maiduguri to Abuja. So accidents happen and we are investigating to find out why it happened and we will make it public when we get the picture of what really happened.”
-
Two vigilance group members, scores of Boko Haram terrorists killed in Borno
A clash between suspected Boko Haram terrorists and members of the Youth Vigilante of Chibok Local Government has left two vigilantes killed, including several Boko Haram terrorists, at Shawa Village in Damboa Local Government Area of Borno State. The fierce encounter occurred during a routine patrol of the community by the vigilante Duku JOEL group, as part of the efforts to ward off renewed attacks by the insurgents on the local population of Chibok and Damboa axis of Borno State.
Chibok and Damboa share a common boundary with Sambisa forest, the stronghold of Boko Haram insurgents. Last week, the insurgents attacked Thlaimaklama village, where they carted away foodstuff and livestock, after which they set the whole village ablaze. The Caretaker Chairman of Chibok Local Government Area, Mr. Yaga Yarakawa, while confirming the attack, said Boko Haram are now carrying out attacks on communities in his local government on a daily basis, adding that the vigilante encountered the terrorists while on a routine patrol of the villages when they stepped on a planted IEDs. His words; “My gallant vigilantes yesterday went out on patrol and had a fierce encounter with Boko Haram in Shuwa village of Damboa Local Government Area.
Two of the vigilantes were killed when they stepped on landmines, while scores of the insurgents were also killed and injured. “It is unfortunate that due to fire power of the terrorists, the vigilantes could not pick up the two dead bodies of their late colleagues, but we have talked to the Brigade Commander in Mubi and in-charge of Askira Uba Local Government Areas of Adamawa and Borno states, and he has assured us that he will deploy some military troops who will accompany us to Shawa to convey the remains of the vigilantes for proper burial as enshrined in the Christian faith.” Aboku Shettima, the Commander of Chibok, vigilante group regretted that, “the Boko Haram terrorists are always on the move in Kuburmbula, Tsilari, Kamdzilari, Kuburnvwu , Kautikari, Kwada, Buftari and Kakulmari villages, bordering Damboa, Chibok and Sambia forest, and this makes it difficult to effectively monitor and apprehend them with ease.”
-
Five million in Nigeria’s northeast need food – FAO
The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has warned that Boko Haram insurgency and rising inflation have left more than five million people in northeast Nigeria facing acute food insecurity.
The United Nations agriculture agency has appealed for $25 million through May 2017 to support irrigated vegetable production and micro-gardening in the dry season, as well as rebuild livestock systems, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.
In a situation update, FAO said the urgently needed funds would tackle food insecurity among returnees, internally displaced persons (IDPs) and host communities.
In addition, the agency is seeking funds now to provide critical agricultural inputs to farmers in time for the 2017 main rainy season.
“We must act now to rapidly restore food security and combat severe hunger and malnutrition,” FAO said in the update.
It noted that inflationary pressures in the national economy have pushed the prices of staple food crops extremely high across the three northeastern states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe.
According to it, prices of food crops are expected to rise further, requiring “immediate intervention.”
-
Two female suicide bombers attack north Cameroon town
Two young female suicide bombers attacked a town in Cameroon’s Far North region early on Thursday, authorities said, the fourth strike near the Nigerian border by suspected Boko Haram militants this week.
One of the bombs exploded in Mora, killing the girl and wounding at least four people, said Babila Akaou, prefect of the Mayo-Sava department.
Locals killed the second bomber before her device detonated, he added, without going into further details.
Fighters from Boko Haram have killed thousands in their campaign to carve out an Islamist state in their base in northeast Nigeria and have also launched attacks in neighboring Chad, Niger and Cameroon.
The group has frequently used female bombers and children to hit targets.
The two girls, aged between 13 and 18, entered the town early on market day and were spotted by a watch committee, said Akaou.
“They were heading toward the market. They weren’t wearing shoes … which drew attention,” said a local named Abou. The girls passed by him around 7 a.m., he said.
Suicide bombers have launched attacks in Mora, about 30 km (20 miles) from the Nigerian border, several times before.
Similar attacks used to happen on an almost daily basis in Cameroon but the International Crisis Group reported this month that the frequency had fallen since September, leading analysts to believe Boko Haram was weakening there.(Reuters/NAN)
-
Boko Haram bomb soft targets to get relevance – Senate
The Senate Committee on Army has said that the Boko Haram terrorists are seeking relevance by bombing soft targets because they have been decimated by troops.
The Chairman of the Committee, Sen. George Akume, made the remark on Thursday when he led other members of the committee on an oversight visit to the Army Headquarters in Abuja.
Akume described the military as a strategic sector of the country and commended it for decimating the insurgents and restoring normalcy to the North-East.
He commiserated with the army and families of officers and soldiers who had made the supreme sacrifice in the course of the fight against the terrorists and assured the army of continued support.
In his remark, he Chief of Army Sfaff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, said the army would not have been able to degrade the insurgents but for the support of the National Assembly.
Buratai assured that he and other senior officers would continue to remain in the North-East, especially Borno, until the insurgents were wiped out.
-
Suicide bombings will end soon – Army
The Nigerian Army on Wednesday assured that the recent spate of suicide bombings in Maiduguri would soon be a thing of the past.
Maj.-Gen. Lucky Irabor, the Theater Commander of the Operation Lafiya Dole stated this while briefing newsmen in Maiduguri.
Irabor stated that the army had put in place mechanism to end the bombings.
“I am delighted to be with you again this afternoon to acquaint you with developments within the theater of operation. The troops of Operation Lafiya Dole have continued with the ongoing operations to clear the remnants of Boko Haram Terrorists.
“Since our last interaction, our troops have conducted many operations with immense successes,’’ he said.
Irabor said that the army had been able to minimise impact of the bombings on the public.
“The impact of recent bombings in Maiduguri, though sad and unfortunate, was minimal due to the alertness of troops and other security agencies.
“Apart from the one wherein two Civilian JTF personnel were killed and some others wounded, only the terrorists died, while one was captured alive.
“The captured suicide bomber is assisting in the investigation into cases of suicide bombings.’’
He said that the continued bombings by the terrorists were a sign of weakness.
According to him, the incidents are only indicative of a weakened and defeated Boko Haram terrorists, their ignoble adventure is destined to fail totally,’’ Irabor said.
He advised members of the public to be more conscious and alert to their environment.
“I wish to remind the general public to be more alert and security conscious with their environment, especially when a strange face comes around.
“I also commiserate with all the victims of the recent suicide bombings by terrorists within the theatre. We shall continue to work to ensure the safety of lives of every citizen, ” Irabor said.
He urged Boko Haram remnants to take advantage of a window of opportunity by surrendering their arms.
“Let me once again use this medium to remind the remnants of Boko Haram that their miserable days are numbered because their future is going to be disastrous if they fail to surrender and lay down their arms.
“Let me therefore, encourage them to take advantage of this window of opportunity now to surrender as failure to do so would be hugely regretted,” Irabor said.
-
About one million cut off from aid by Boko Haram – UN
Up to a million people around West Africa’s Lake Chad are cut off from humanitarian aid by Boko Haram despite a regional military offensive against the terror group, a United Nations official said on Tuesday.
Boko Haram violence has uprooted more than 100,000 people across the swamplands of Lake Chad, where the borders of Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria meet, and disrupted the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of others, according to aid agencies.
Security sources said a regional task force is wrestling back control of the lake – where Boko Haram controls part of the fishing industry in a labyrinth of waterways – with hundreds of militants having surrendered in the past month.
Yet many areas are impossible to reach amid the insecurity, Toby Lanzer, UN humanitarian coordinator for the Sahel, told Reuters.
“We believe that there are up to a million people in the areas and villages we haven’t been able to reach.”
Boko Haram militants have killed about 15,000 people and displaced more than 2.6 million in a seven-year insurgency and they still launch deadly attacks despite having been pushed out of the vast swathes of territory they controlled in 2014.
Some of the displaced in the region have moved again due to fear of further violence or as a result of attacks by Boko Haram, two of which were recorded last month, according to the UN. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
“We are very concerned about the security situation. Do not think that the crisis is anywhere near over,” Lanzer added.
-
UN salutes Nigeria for success in fight against Boko Haram
The United Nations has commended Nigeria for the successes it has so far recorded in the fight against terrorism.
The Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for West Africa, Mr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas, who made the commendation in Abuja on Friday during a courtesy visit to the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said he had earlier visited the North-East and was pleased with the military onslaught against Boko Haram.
“First and foremost, we will like to once again express the solidarity and the support of the United Nations for the effort of Nigeria in fighting Boko Haram terrorists. This is part of the international fight against terrorism because Boko Haram has proclaimed its allegiance and its part of the international terrorists’ network.
“So Nigeria enjoys the support and the cooperation in many technical areas relating to this fight against Boko Haram both within Nigeria and also within the Lake Chad Basin countries,” he said.
Mr. Chambas commiserated with Nigeria over the large-scale destruction and havoc wreaked on the communities by the terrorists, which led to a huge humanitarian catastrophe in the North-East, saying the UN has equally scaled-up its humanitarian activities to confront the challenge.
The UN Envoy, however, observed that as the military continues to make progress against Boko Haram, more communities that have been trapped behind the enemy lines are being liberated, thus increasing the humanitarian challenge.
He therefore appealed to international NGOs, donor agencies and development partners to complement the mobilization of funds to bridge the funding gap in delivering humanitarian assistance to the liberated communities.
Mr. Chambas also commended the Federal Government for appointing a ministerial level coordinator for the efforts of both the government and the private sector as well as donor agencies in addressing the humanitarian challenges in the region.
In his remark, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, thanked the United Nations for its support towards alleviating the suffering of the displaced persons.
“The humanitarian crisis caused by Boko Haram is being under-played and it’s a global issue, which should not be left to Nigeria alone,” he said.
-
Army arrests 37 Boko Haram suspects in Lagos, Ogun
The Lagos-based 81 Division of the Army yesterday said it arrested 37 suspected Boko Haram terrorists in Lagos and Ogun States in the last 15 months.
The erstwhile General Officer Commanding (GOC) Maj.-Gen. Isidore Edet, stated this during the handing over to his successor, Maj.-Gen. Ebenezer Oyefolu.
Gen. Edet said the Division, under his watch, arrested the terrorists in different parts of the two states.
“As Boko Haram is being defeated, the terrorists run to other parts of the country.
“From the period I took over in August 2015 till date, we arrested 37 Boko Haram suspects.
“We will continue to arrest them and hand them over to the appropriate authorities,’’ he said.
Gen. Edet said his most challenging moment as GOC 81 Division was the abduction of three of his operatives by militants in Ijagemo Area, on the outskirts Lagos.
“I had to work round-the-clock to secure their release,’’ he said.
“Tackling the challenges posed by the militants wasn’t so challenging because we had to work cooperatively and collaboratively to rout the vandals in Arepo axis. For the Festac axis, the work is still on.
“Commanding 81 Division for me, was an honour. It is the dream of every Infantry officer to rise to command a division. It was a honour I didn’t take for granted. So, I would miss the cooperation and good working relations I had with my personnel.”
On pipeline vandals at Arepo area of Ikorodu, the former GOC said the Army worked collaboratively and cooperatively with other security agencies to rout the vandals from the area.
Gen. Oyefolu, said he would key into the successes of his predecessor to move the Division forward.
Gen Oyefolu was the Deputy Director at Defence Intelligence Agency, Abuja before his appointment.