Nigerian Air Force (NAF) airpower is increasingly constraining the activities of terrorists and bandits operating across the North-West, with Katsina State Governor Dikko Umar Radda describing NAF aircraft as among the most feared weapons by criminal groups in the region.
Radda made the assessment on August 20, 2024, when the Chief of Operations, NAF, Air Vice Marshal P.N. Amadi, paid an operational visit to the Air Component of Operation Fansan Yamma (OPFY) Sector 2 in Katsina.
The governor said the sustained deployment of airpower had strengthened security operations by enabling the military to reach difficult and inaccessible locations used by terrorists and other criminal groups as hideouts and operational bases.
He commended the NAF for its sacrifices in the fight against insecurity and pledged the continued support of the Katsina State Government for ongoing air and ground operations aimed at disrupting criminal networks.
Radda’s remarks come as security agencies intensify efforts to contain banditry and terrorism across the North-West, where criminal groups have continued to exploit vast and difficult terrain to sustain their operations.
Amadi, who reaffirmed the NAF’s commitment to intensified air operations across Katsina and the wider North-West, said sustained coordination among the Armed Forces, other security agencies, government authorities and local communities was essential to achieving lasting peace.
He said the NAF would continue to deploy its capabilities to degrade terrorists, bandits and other criminal elements while denying them the freedom to operate.
The visit also underscored the strategic priorities of the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, particularly the need to strengthen the welfare, readiness and operational effectiveness of personnel deployed to frontline areas.
Amadi was accompanied by the Chief of Civil-Military Relations, Air Vice Marshal E.K. Gabkwet, and received by the Air Component Commander, OPFY Sector 2, Air Commodore C.E. Illoh.
The engagement further highlighted the importance of civil-military cooperation as security forces seek to sustain pressure on criminal networks and improve security across Katsina and the wider North-West.