Nigeria’s Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Isiaka Oladayo Amao, on Tuesday assured that the Boko Haram/Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists and bandits terrorising Nigerians would soon be wiped out.
Air Marshal Amao said during the 2022 budget defence session before the Senate Committee on Air Force that the terrorists have been devastatingly decimated and degraded with attendant loss of fighters and weapons, making many of them to surrender voluntarily.
According to Amao, “required onslaughts tactically and strategically are already mapped out to rout out the remnants of the insurgents attacking villages and military outposts in pretence of still being potent.
“In line with the core mandate of the Air Force and military generally, the territorial integrity of Nigeria is being protected against the insurgents and bandits, who, in no distant time, will be completely wiped out.”
The Chief of the Air Staff noted that as the 2021 budgetary allocations to the Air Force was judiciously used in prosecuting the war against terrorists and bandits as well as improving the welfare of officers and men, the 2022 allocations would also be expended judiciously for similar purposes.
“In the face of challenges at hand, prudency and accountability have been the guiding principle of implementation of budgetary allocations by the Nigeria Air Force,” he said.
Before the session went into closed door, Chairman of the Committee, Senator Bala Ibn Na’Allah (APC, Kebbi), tasked the military to use all the resources within its disposal to flush out the remnants of the insurgents and make the forests inhabitable for bandits, kidnappers and all forms of criminals.
“The Air Force and by extension the military generally deserved commendation from Nigerians as far as war against insurgency and banditry is concerned but Nigerians want these enemies of the nation to be completely defeated as soon as possible.
“For us on this committee and in the National Assembly, required appropriations in terms of procurement of weapons, armaments and enhancement of welfare of officers and men in the military shall be made since essence of governance itself is security and welfare of citizenry,” he said.
