There can’t be zero violence in N’East —COAS

Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadiq Abubakar

The Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadiq Abubakar, has said violence cannot be eradicated totally in the North Eastern region of the country, adding that security agencies are doing their best to tackle insurgency.

Abubakar spoke on Tuesday during his visit to the Logistics Command of the Nigerian Air Force, Sam Ethnan Base, Ikeja, Lagos.

The COAS, who inaugurated several projects at the base, noted that the fight against terrorism had improved under the present administration, saying the era of Boko Haram terrorists moving in convoys and destroying villages had become a rarity.

He said, “In the North Eastern part of Nigeria, we are making progress. We may have challenges of suicide bombings here and there, but that will end soon.

“There cannot be zero violence; violence will still be there. But everything humanly possible will be done to have a peaceful and stable environment in the North-East so that people can go about their business in peace.

“We are doing so much in terms of close air support. We are providing an enabling environment for the surface forces to function. We soften the ground for the surface forces to function. We are providing logistics-in-supply, rotational transportation, and also moving equipment.

“In 2014 and 2015, Boko Haram was moving in convoys of 15 or 20 vehicles from village to village and killing people. You will agree that that has stopped.”

While on a visit to the Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, the COAS noted that the Logistics Command, Lagos, was strategic to the operation of the air force, especially in supplying equipment to further the war against insurgency and other criminal activities in the country.

In his remarks, Ambode stressed the need for the state government and the NAF to collaborate in mounting air surveillance on the waterways in the state to nip in the bud all criminal activities on waters.

He said, “The state government is sensitive to security issues and in the last 11 months, we have tried as much as possible to put security on the front burner of our tripod in running Lagos State. We believe strongly that security and development are twins. There is no way we can develop if there is no security and that is why we are laying more emphasis on protecting the lives and property in Lagos on the road, waterways and in the air.

“We have contributed some helicopters to the Rapid Response Squad of the Nigeria Police Force. I commend President Muhammadu Buhari for the recent approval given to the Nigerian Air Force to procure more helicopters and going by the fact that Lagos is the logistics base of the Air Force, we know we will benefit from that as well.”

Punch