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Tag: naf

  • [Video] NAF remotely piloted aircraft destroys Boko Haram terrorists gun truck in Sambisa

    …as insurgents flee

    A Nigerian Air Force (NAF) remotely piloted aircraft (RPA), on 30 January 2018, successfully destroyed another Boko Haram Terrorists (BHT) gun truck in the SAMBISA general area.

    The NAF RPA sighted the gun truck around ALAFA while on a routine armed reconnaissance of the area, following the dislodgement of the insurgents from Camp ZAIRO.

    The RPA picked up the trail of the gun truck until it arrived at ALAFA, where it was subsequently attacked.

    The air strike by the NAF RPA resulted in the immediate destruction of the vehicles in the targeted location, killing all the BHTs inside it, as no survivors were seen scampering from the location after impact.

  • [Video] NAF battles Boko Haram with remotely piloted aircraft in Sambisa

    The Air Force on Monday said it has used a Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) to neutralise scores of the Boko Haram terrorists in Sambisa Forest.

    It added that the air strikes also led to the destruction of the artillery guns and gun trucks belonging to the terrorists.

    The NAF Director of Public Relation and Information, Air Vice Marshal Olatukunbo Adesanya, in a statement supported with video footage of the operation, said the use of the remotely piloted aircraft followed an Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) platform confirming the presence of the insurgents in the area.

    The statement reads: “A Nigerian Air Force (NAF) remotely piloted aircraft (RPA), on 27 January 2018, successfully destroyed an artillery gun and some gun trucks belonging to the Boko Haram Terrorists (BHTs) in the Sambisa Forest. A NAF Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) platform and the RPA had observed the terrorists withdrawing with the artillery gun and gun trucks after an unsuccessful operation. The NAF crews on both the ISR and the armed RPA trailed the withdrawing insurgents to their final destination in Parisu. Thereafter, the RPA acquired the artillery gun position and attacked the piece, causing a huge explosion and destroying the equipment. The explosion also killed insurgents operating the equipment and those around it while a few others were sighted fleeing from the site of the explosion. The successful air strikes are part of the ongoing coordinated air and land operations aimed at ridding the Sambisa Forest of the remnants of the insurgents.”

     

  • Army, NAF invade Sambisa, kill several terrorists

    …destroy sophisticated arms

    Troops of the Nigerian Army has neutralised seven remnants of the Boko Haram terrorists in the Sambisa forest and Northern Borno on Friday in an operation supported by the Air Force.

    According to a statement by Sani Usman, the Director of Army Public Relations of the Army late Friday, troops also destroyed 11 gun trucks and 12 Hilux vehicles during the operation.

    Mr. Usman, a brigadier general, said other terrorists’ equipment destroyed were make-shift accommodation around Camp Zairo, Improvised Explosives Device (IEDs), booby traps and other delaying obstacles and devices.

    “In addition, the gallant troops recovered one gun truck, one anti-aircraft gun, one machine gun, a pistol, large quantity of anti-aircraft gun ammunition, a 120mm mortar base Plate and a dane gun,” he said.

    Mr. Usman added that three canter trucks, two double barrel rifles, 30 bicycles, power generating sets, cylinders, printers, military kits and IED making workshop were also destroyed by troops.

    “Unfortunately, two soldiers were wounded during the encounter.

    “The wounded soldiers have since been evacuated by Nigerian Air Force and are responding to treatment,” the army spokesman said.

    He said the GOC 7 Division and Commander, 26 Task Force Brigade, Maj.-Gen. I. M. Yusuf, and Maj.-Gen. I. M. Obot, have visited the troops and commended them on behalf of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, for a job well done.

    Mr. Usman urged the people of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states to report any fleeing Boko Haram terrorist seen around their communities.

    He also urged them to look out for the wounded terrorists and report to the nearest military or Police location.

     

  • Shekau, Boko Haram not responsible for crashed helicopter – NAF

    The Nigerian Air Force on Saturday debunked claims by Abubakar Shekau; leader of the terrorist sect, Boko Haram in a recent video he (Shekau) released that he (Shekau) and other members of the sect shot down the Mi-17 helicopter, which crashed during an operation in the North-East.

    The NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Vice Marshal Olatokunbo Adesanya stated this in an interview with The Punch, describing Shekau’s statement as a “bare-faced lie.”

    It would be recalled that the Air Force’s Mi-17 crashed on January 8, 2018, while in the North-East during a counter-Boko Haram insurgency operation.

    Although no life was lost during the incident, the Air Force noted that the helicopter suffered a “significant damage.”

    The Air Force had said that the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, directed the constitution of a board of inquiry to determine the cause of the incident.

    The board had yet to submit its report.

    Boko Haram insurgents, had on Monday, released a video, claiming that they were responsible for the crashed helicopter.

    Shekau had said, “We hold unto the Chibok schoolgirls; we still have the policewomen. Among the Chibok schoolgirls that insisted on following the ways of their parents’ religion, we allowed them to go back and join their people. The military have come to us, but it did not end well; that is why your helicopter went down; that is why your armoured tanks got destroyed.”

    But reacting to the claim by the insurgents, NAF Spokesperson, Adesanya, said, “The Boko Haram did not shoot down the NAF’s Mi-17 helicopter. If that were the case, the public would have been duly informed.

    “The NAF remains accountable to the citizenry. This is why we issued a statement immediately after the crash landing of the helicopter, which was on a routine mission in the North-East.

     

  • NAF takes delivery of additional 5 Super Mushshak aircraft

    The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) on Sunday took delivery of five Super Mushshak aircraft from Pakistan meant to enhance its training and operational efficiency.

    The Chief of Logistics, NAF headquarters, AVM Garba Bello said while taking delivery of the aircraft in Kaduna that the total Super Mushshak aircraft received from Pakistan now stood at 10.

    “The aircraft acquired is for the training of air force personnel and to improve the service’ air power,” he said.

    Bello, who represented the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadiq Abubakar at the event, said:“This will enhance training of our student pilots who will now complete their training within stipulated the time.

    “This will get them to go to another form of training in time and finally get them to launch into battle field in the North-East and other parts of the country.”

    According to him, the aircraft is modern and has spare parts in the event of repairs and maintenance.

    “In the NAF, we have a very strict maintenance culture, we have instructor pilots and engineers on it.”

    Also speaking, the team leader of Pakistan Air force, Wing Cdr. Zeeshan Ahmed said 10 super Mushshak planes have been supplied to Nigeria from Pakistan.

    He said that the gesture would strengthen existing relationship between the two countries and encourage the two armed forces to upscale their synergy.

     

  • CAS commissions new lecture rooms at AFIT kaduna

    The Chief of Air Staff, CAS, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar commissions new block of lecture rooms at the Air Force Institute of Technology, AFIT in Kaduna.

    Thenewsguru reports that the newly commissioned building is expected to accommodate at least 220 students of the institute.

    However, the CAS seized the opportunity to commission the newly built lecture rooms after chairing a meeting of the Governing Council of the Institute who also attended the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), Inter-Command Drill Competition, first in its history which ended on 19, December 2017 at Military Training Ground Kaduna.

    Being the Guest of Honour, the CAS expressed his delight to be at the maiden Inter-Command Drill Competition in the NAF.

    “The drill competition is one of the ways of actualizing his vision for the NAF, one of the Vision’s key drivers being to improve regimentation, esprit de corps as well as to enhance inter-Service cooperation”.

    He further stated that the importance of drill in a military force cannot be over emphasized, being the bedrock of military discipline upon which all other tenets are built.

    Air Marshal Abubakar urged personnel to be security conscious and to remain vigilant at all times, especially as Year 2017 gradually ends.

    He then thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for his unflinching support to the NAF through the timely provision of resources, thereby enabling the Service to meet its operational objectives.

     

     

     

  • Herdsmen shoot NAF fighter Jet in Adamawa

    Armed herdsmen have fired at the Alpha Jet and EC 135 Helicopter deployed in Adamawa State by the military, The PUNCH is reporting.

    The Alpha Jet and EC 135 Helicopter were deployed by the Nigerian Air Force in Numan and Demsa Local Government Areas of Adamawa State following the clashes and crises in the villages there.

    According to The PUNCH, the herdsmen, who were dressed in black, reportedly attempted to bring down the fighter aircraft, which were flown to fire “only warning shots” and not to kill any of the attackers.

    The PUNCH quoted a top NAF source as saying: “A lot of damage had been done in Numan already by the gunmen before the fighter aircraft moved in. We actually caught the gunmen doing more damage and they needed to be stopped. So, we fired warning shots ahead of them. They were with a vast number of cows and they moved the cows under a shed as they set more buildings in the area on fire.

    “At some point, the gunmen actually started firing at our aircraft. There was a bridge on that way to Jalingo, Taraba State, where they finally ran to. The Alpha Jet was not asked to bomb them. It did not actually carry bombs. We were on an internal security operation and a fundamental principle of such operation was the use of minimum force.”

  • NAF bombs Boko Haram hideouts in Sambisa, kills more insurgents

    The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) said on Friday it has carried out more air strikes against the Boko Haram terrorists in the Sambisa general area in Borno State, killing scores of insurgents and destroying their hideouts in the process.

    The bombardment of the insurgents were conducted with four fighter jets and two helicopters after series of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions have been carried out on the target areas.

    The Director of Public Relations and Information of the NAF, Air Vice Marshal Olatokunbo Adesanya, said the Air Task Force of Operation Lafiya Dole carried out the strikes in an operation code-named operation Ruwan Wuta III.

    He explained in a statement supported with a declassified video footage that “on December 12, 20 17, the Air Task Force of OP LAFIYA DOLE commenced an intensive bombardment of the hideouts of Boko Haram Terrorists (BHT) in Northern Borno and the Sambisa general area in an operation codenamed Operation Ruwan Wuta lll.

    “On the first day of the operation, an air interdiction mission was conducted on a BHT hideout in Kolaram, which is 37km East of Monguno.”

    According to AVM Adesanya, “Previous Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions by NAF platforms had revealed Kolaram to be an active BHT location from where the terrorists had launched attacks on our surface forces in Northern Borno.

    “Accordingly, two NAF helicopters were detailed for a pre-dawn attack on the settlement, followed by another wave of attacks from four fighter aircraft.

    “Battle Damage Assessment (BDA) showed that several structures were destroyed, causing fire within the settlement while some insurgents were killed in the process.

    “On the same day, one NAF helicopter and some fighter aircraft attacked an adjoining settlement Southeast of Kolaram, targeting structures that had been observed to host significant BHT activities. The targeted BHT structures were destroyed and engulfed in fire, killing the terrorists hiding in them.

    “During the attacks on Kolaram and Southeast of Kolaram, some escaping insurgents were tracked as they fled northwards to Jubilaram, which is 38km Northeast of Monguno.

    ” Accordingly, another wave of air interdiction was launched on the location, which was also found to be active with BHT activities. Four NAF fighter aircraft took turns to attack structures occupied by BHT elements in the settlement.

    “Subsequent BDA revealed that the attacks resulted in a large part of the settlement being engulfed in fire, thereby destroying the BHTs structures and neutralizing the fleeing BHTs.”

  • Nigerian Airforce graduates 19 War Fellows from its war college

    The Nigeria Airforce War College, Makurdi has graduated 19 senior military officers, trained to meet contemporary challenges in air warfare.

    Speaking during the graduation ceremony on Friday in Makurdi, the Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, described the training as apt.

    He said the changing character of warfare required military officers to be equipped with requisite skills to handle emerging security challenges.

    Represented by the Chief of Training and Operations, AVM Nurudeen Balogun, Abubakar said the participants were trained to be adaptive in various war strategies and in military thinking.

    He said the college had bridged the gap that existed between the quality of workforce that transited from the tactical to the operational and strategic levels of the Airforce in the country.

    The CAS noted that the college had also been training qualitative personnel to fit in all air power operations, adding that it was comparable to other colleges of similar function across the globe.

    He said facilities in the college were upgraded to the requirement of an international air war college.

    The CAS also disclosed that since his assumption of duties, he had placed premium on capacity building in the Service.

    According to him, his effort has re-positioned the Service into a highly and disciplined force, capable of tackling the security challenges of the country.

    He said several Airforce personnel were undergoing various courses in different areas of air power across the country.

    Abubakar said the college was established in 2017 to provide the needed impetus for the training of officers in airpower.

    He said the college was the highest professional military training institution in the Nigerian Airforce, adding that it had been playing leading role in the articulation of strategy and doctrine in the Service.

    Earlier, the Commandant of the college, AVM John Baba, said the graduates were the second batch of officers from the college.

    He said the training of participants at the college was tailored to meet the vision of the CAS in ” developing a qualitative manpower in the field of air power for effective conduct of air operations”.

    He said the participants include 9 Wing Commanders from the Airforce, one Lt-Col. from the Army and two Commanders from the Navy.

    The commandant of the war college said during the six months training, four wing commanders were promoted to Group Captains while the Lt-Col. was promoted to Colonel.

    Baba said the course was designed to equip participants with general knowledge of warfare with emphasis on air power.

    He said the college had divided its curriculum into modules that include, Air Power Principles, Warfare Studies, Fundamentals of Strategy, War Fighting and War Gaming as well as Land and Maritime Warfare Studies.

    Baba said the participants were drilled in various military operations aimed at broadening and strengthening their knowledge of air operations.

    He, therefore, called on the graduates to utilise the skills and tactics they acquired during the training, to enhance their performances.

    The high point of the occasion was the presentation of certificates to participants in addition to giving medals to those that distinguished themselves during the course.

    Group Captain Emang Imoke won the Commandants’ trophy for developing a paper judged to be the best in aviation security.

    Group Captain MN Saidu won the CAS trophy while Group Captain Ehime Ejodame emerged the overall best participant.

  • Navy apprehends suspected notorious recruitment fraudster

    The Nigerian Navy (NN) says it has arrested a 27-year-old man, Yohanna Ahmadu, a suspected recruitment fraudster for attempting to defraud one Mr Adamu Ibrahim during the last nationwide recruitment exercise.

    Navy Capt. Suleman Dahun, the Acting Director of Information, Naval Headquarters, made this known in a statement on Saturday in Abuja.

    Quoting Commodore Gbolahan Olubode–Fazaz, the Commander Naval unit Abuja, Dahun said that the suspect had charged his victim the sum of N50,000.00 and promised to get him enlisted into the Nigerian Navy.

    The acting director further alleged that the fraudster had directed the victim to the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Base in Kaduna and promised that his “boss’’ would assist in the exercise.

    “Ahmadu thereafter, collected the victim’s passport photograph, photocopies of his credentials and urine sample for a fake test.

    “The suspect demanded the sum of N50,000.00 from his victim before releasing a fake Nigerian Navy appointment letter which he will use to report for the training at the Nigerian Navy Basic Training School, Onne, Port Harcourt.

    “But luck ran out on him when the victim called a Naval personnel complaining of this extortion and was directed to play along by promising to pay the amount upon their return to Abuja, where he was lured to a Diamond Bank branch in Kubwa and arrested,” he said.

    According to Dahun, Ahmadu has been handed over to the police for further investigation and possible prosecution.

    The acting director then warned interested members of the public to be wary of recruitment websites that would always ask for money as recruitment into the service was free of charge.

    NAN