By Chukwudi Nweje
Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Isiaka Amao, has said the acquisition of Super Tucano jet fighters by the Federal Government cannot translate to the automatic defeat of Boko Haram and other insurgency activities in the North East.
He said those who believe the arrival of the aircraft would end the war against terror grossly misunderstood the role of airpower in the war against terror.
Amao stated this at the Open Ears Conference 2 in Abuja, where he was represented by Air Vice Marshall James Gwani, Chief of Training and Operations(CTOP), Nigerian Air Force headquarters.
“The Super Tucanos have brought in a lot of bite to the fight; I can tell you that as we speak, the aeroplanes are operating in the North East. Yesterday, I had a meeting with the commander and the vendors who supplied us the aeroplanes to review the operations of the aircraft, and I can tell you that there is very positive response as to the operations of those aircraft in the theatre of operations.
“But I can also tell you categorically that air power alone cannot win this war. It will take a collective effort – the military, civil society organisations and all other stakeholders. While the Super Tucano is going to play a prominent role, let’s not sit back and think that Super Tucano alone is going to end this war, it is not going to happen,” Amao said.
He said investigations into the air force strike on innocent civilians in Yobe State was still ongoing and would be made public as soon as it is concluded.
On Flight Lieutenant Abayomi Dairo, whose jet was shot down by suspected bandits in Zamfara, he said the delay in disclosing where Dairo went down was informed by operational strategy.
“The first news report that came out was that a NAF aircraft flew from Yola to Kaduna and crashed, we told Nigerians that no plane came from Yola to Kaduna and crashed. Of course, we knew we had lost an aircraft in Zamfara and a combat search and rescue had already been launched. We knew the pilot was alive and the bandits were searching for him. It would have been improper for us to disclose where the plane crashed, we would have put the life of that pilot and those conducting the combat search and rescue in danger, we had to delay for the safety of the pilot and to ensure that those handling the combat search and rescue were not compromised. It was not our intention to refuse to release information, but operational conditions that bothered on the safety of the pilot and those conducting the combat search and rescue was pre-eminent and that informed how we reacted.”
He said it is too early for the air force to say what led to the crash of the jet as they are still looking for the fuselage working with Nigeria’s immediate neighbours and strategic partners.