Following the directive by President Muhammadu Buhari to the military and security agencies to launch a major crackdown against bandits and kidnappers in Katsina and other states in the North-west of the Country, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) on Friday injected Special Forces (SF) operatives and deployed additional platforms to Kastina state.
NAF spokesperson, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola said in a statement that the arrangement is to consolidate on the already existing security architecture in the state in order “to ensure the success of the ongoing renewed offensive against the armed bandits under the auspices of the Defence Headquarters led Operation HADARIN DAJI.”
In his address during the deployment of the troops, the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, said the deployment was informed by the need to quickly add value to the current effort by all security agencies to decisively deal with acts of banditry and criminality in Katsina state and the entire Northwestern Nigeria.
Represented by the Air Officer Commanding Special Operations Command (AOC SOC), Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Charles Ohwo, the air chief said that precursor air operations that commenced two days ago had already yielded positive results with some armed bandits’ camps destroyed, thereby further degrading the fighting capability of the criminals.
He said the deployment of the additional Special Forces would complement the successes so far recorded to ensure the activities of bandits, kidnappers, cattle rustlers and other criminal elements are curtailed.
The CAS assured residents of Kastina state that the NAF, working in synergy with sister Services and other security agencies, would continue to do its best to ensure a return to normalcy in the area.
The Katsina deployment is coming just few days after the NAF had deployed Special Forces and combat search and rescue operatives to Nasarawa and Plateau states.
