From: BillyGraham Abel, Yola
The Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, has warned Boko Haram insurgents to surrender, saying that the Air Force would not relent until everyone of them was captured.
Marshal Abubakar said the Boko Haram insurgency had been completely degraded and decimated as a unit and its ability to launch coordinated attacks has been dealt a great blow but for its sporadic isolated attacks on soft targets.
Abubakar said: “The only way the air force will cease its offensive is if the boko haram fighters surrender but if they don’t, the air command will keep hunting them down until they are all dealt with.
Air Marshal Sadique said, “I am very proud of the effort of the men and officers of the Nigerian air force which has ensured the safety of the people in the north east.
“The air force has successfully foiled several planned attacks by the boko insurgents and the officers and men are absolutely committed to making sure that every Nigerian lives safely.”
Abubakar called on the men to redouble their efforts especially in the maintenance of aircrafts as the country is committed to their safety, welfare and training.
The Air chief said, the air force is building its capacity in the training of about 450 specialized personnel in order to ensure that all the men with in the force remain focussed on their specialised task without necessarily getting involved in guard duty.
Sadique said, “The air force will soon introduce its k9 unit which has been trained by the police force and will soon be deployed to various airports in the country.”
Abubakar told the officers and men that, “The challenges of the 21st century can only be addressed with knowledge hence the commitment to training both men and officers of force.
“About 160 officers have already gone through professional training and 200 more officers will soon be going for training.
“We have increased our capacity from training 500 recruited personnel within three month to training 2000 recruits in 6 months
“The welfare of our air men is critical to our success that is why we initiated a skill acquisition program for about 150 Barrack boys and girls in port Harcourt in order to support the families of our men and women.”
Air Marshal Abubakar commended the tactical air command for its effort saying that the about ten thousand flying hours expended in its operation in the last two hours is paying off as the boko haram insurgents are on the run.
The Commander of the Tactical Air Command of the Air force, Air Vice Marshal M. A. Idriss, lauds the chief of Air Staff, Sadique Abubakar’s initiative in making it a policy to dine with the men in the front line every festive season, an action which he said has boost the morale of the officers and men to give their best.
AVM Idriss said the dinner though a celebration, has become a forum for which the air force officers and men interact with the Chief of Air Staff on the challenges it faces in its operations which has led to greater efficiency and success in the components operations.
He said there has been a remarkable improvement in the fight against boko haram insurgency as its activities has been silenced to the barest minimum.