Abuja —The Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Saddique Abubakar, said yesterday there was urgent need to boost the capacity of Nigerian Air Force to meet its responsibilities. He spoke against the backdrop of involvement of the Nigerian Air Force in the battle to rid the country of terrorism in the North East and other serious security issues confronting the country, such as Niger Delta militancy.
To this end, Abubakar, in an NTA programme, said that NAF would soon take delivery of 12 new Mi-35 attack helicopter gunships fitted with modern facilities to fire guided missiles at enemy positions. Aside the gunships from Russia, he said a new set of fighter jets from the United States of America with ISR facilities would soon be delivered to AF as soon as the US Congress, which gives approval on manufacture and sale of such hi-tech weaponry, gave its nod. Commenting on the activities of Boko Haram terrorists and their camps in Sambisa, Air Marshal Abubakar said.
“We have degraded the capacity of the Boko Haram terrorist’s group to move around inside the Sambisa forest. ‘’The only problem we are having is that of the terrain. It is a big challenge because the place has been mined and troops cannot just move freely.” Noting, however, that the terrorists had been fleeing the forest because of airforce bombardment, Abubakar said the task was immense.
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