The Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar said counter insurgency operations would now be focused in the South- South region of the country.
He said: "the challenges in the north east has been substantially addressed, so we are not too worried now with the north east, our main focus would now be to protect the territorial integrity of Nigeria in the South-South."
Abubakar spoke Saturday at the Mogadishu Cantonment, Abuja after leading officers and air men in Abuja through the third quarter ten kilometer route match.
He said there are plans to launch an exercise in the South-South region to check the menace of militants destroying oil infrastructure.
He said the operations is to ensure that oil and gas infrastructure are not destroyed by any group or group of individuals.
He said: " Very soon we would launch an exercise in the south-south also, and the aim of the exercise is to protect our people and the infrastructure of Nigeria."
He said : " We are all aware of the challenging the Nigerian state is facing so we must therefore be in the best of forms in terms of our health and physical well being, to be able to address these challenges."
"It is very gratifying to note that the leadership of the Nigerian Airforce from the Chief of Staff, to the Branch Chiefs to Directors are all here to participate in this important exercise, the challenges of today, requires a sound mind in a sound body," he added.
Abubakar noted that: "This is why the quarterly route match exercise is an exercise we take seriously, we want to assure Nigerian, by this exercise, that even at the higest level, we are capable, and willing to face the challenges in the Nigerian state."
In a related development, the Air force yesterday flagged off aerial surveillance of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja and the Kaduna-Abuja high way component of patrols to rid the area of criminal elements.
Flagging off the exercise, yesterday, Air Vice Marshal Nuruddeen Balogun the Air Officer Commanding, Training Command, Kaduna state, said the exercise is to link up with other inter agency operations to fight crimes in the region.
He who spoke to journalists at the Nnamdi Azikewi Airport Abuja, after the launch of the exercise said it's a combination of operations, Operations Yaki, Operations Sharan Daji and the joint operations taking place in Abuja here.
He explained that: "With all the security issues that is bedeviling the north east, north west and also the federal capital, the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar has directed that we should combine the operations ongoing in those area and ensure that the Federal Capital Territory is covered."
"As you can see, there are three light utility helicopters that are capable of kinetic action, what we are suppose to do is coordinate the activities of the ground force with what we see air borne and make sure we bring effective fire and action to bear on who so ever it is that has intension of breaching the security." he added.
He said the area of operations covers the Federal Capital Territory, the Abuja-Kaduna high way, Birnin Gwari-Kaduna high way, the Falgore forest area, Minna general area, the Kano-Kaduna high way.
He said: "We are looking at kidnappers, we are looking and armed robbers, we are looking at cattle rustlers mainly."
He noted that : "Nigerians understand the situation we find out selves now, anybody who is innocent has nothing to fear, only people with criminal intent should be worried, there is no problem, it's a normal routine activity, we will make sure we identify and confirm before any action is taken."
Culled from: Daily Trust
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