Air Force Jets Bombs, Destroys Boko Haram Base for Manufacturing Suicide Bombs (IEDS).

 In furtherance of Operation Lafiya Dole, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), on 20 November 2017, successfully destroyed a Boko Haram Terrorists (BHTs) facility for manufacturing of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).

The BHT facility, which was in a place known as YIWE Forest, is located 23km South of Konduga in Borno State.

A statement by Air Commodore Olatokunbo Adesanya said, “Previous NAF Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions had revealed the location to be a BHT hideout, from where the Maiduguri suicide bombing of 18 November 2017 was reportedly planned.

“Available Human Intelligence also revealed that the hideout contained IED-making facility for the insurgents’ suicide bombing attacks.

“Accordingly, one Mi-17 Helicopter, 2 Alpha Jets and 2 F-7Ni aircraft were detailed to carry out air interdiction on the target over a 2-day period.

“Overhead the location, the aircraft took turns to deliver a combination of bombs, rockets and cannons on the target.

“The subsequent Battle Damage Assessment (BDA) revealed that the strikes had destroyed the IED-making facility and other BHT structures, killing an unspecified number of insurgents in the process.

“The air strikes also caused a huge flame within the settlement, owing to the cache of IEDs stored by the BHTs, while a few fleeing insurgents were further strafed with cannons and rockets.”

 Capacity Building: NAF Trains 50 Works Personnel at NICT

 Meanwhile, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) is currently training some personnel of its Works Specialty at the National Institute of Construction Technology (NICT), Uromi, Edo State.

 A total of 50 NAF personnel are at the moment, participating in the training programme, which would last 4 months.

The personnel are undergoing training in specialized fields such as Plumbing and Pipefitting, Power and Domestic Electrical Engineering, Surveying as well as masonry.

The training programme is an initiative of the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, who has continued to place emphasis on capacity building, with the belief that it is a prerequisite for optimum service delivery.

 It is noteworthy that the ongoing training of the Works personnel marks the first time the NAF will conduct proper basic training for airmen/airwomen of the Works Specialty.

 In the past, some of the personnel deployed to the Works Specialty were qualified tradesmen while many required basic training in specialized fields.

Over time, however, it was realized that most Works personnel had not been receiving the required formal training and hence, normally relied on on-the-job training to function in the Service.

Consequently, the desired level of professionalism, to meet the nation’s contemporary security challenges, had been largely missing in NAF Works personnel.

The training programme at NICT is therefore designed to add value to the skill and knowledge already possessed by the NAF Works personnel, as a way of enhancing service delivery.

In addition to facilitating a smooth career progression for NAF Works personnel, the expertise that the training at NICT provides would be handy in barracks maintenance.

With the increased construction activities across NAF units, the services of well-trained artisans are also needed for quality output especially in the execution of direct labour projects.

A statement by Air Commodore Olatokunbo Adesanya noted that “The NAF plans to train a total of 200 Works personnel at NICT, with the current set of 50 trainees forming the first batch.

“On completion of the training of the first batch of students, another batch of 50 personnel is expected to resume for training at the Institute.

“The training of the NAF personnel at NICT is one of the numerous ways that the NAF is partnering with local institutions to enhance capacity building, with cost saving implications for the nation.”

DOPRI