The Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, on Saturday declared that the counter insurgency operations would soon shift to the South-South region of the country, where there has been an upsurge of militancy in recent times.
He said: ”the challenges in the north east has been substantially addressed, so we are not too worried now with the north east, our main focus would now be to protect the territorial integrity of Nigeria in the South-South”.
Air Marshal Abubakar made the disclosure at the Mogadishu Cantonment, Abuja after leading officers and air men in the nation’s capital through the third quarter ten kilometer route march.
The air chief said there are plans to launch an exercise in the South-South region to check the menace of militants destroying oil infrastructure.
According to Abubakar, the operation is to ensure that oil and gas infrastructure are not destroyed by any group or group of individuals.
“Very soon we would launch an exercise in the south-south also, and the aim of the exercise is to protect our people and the infrastructure of Nigeria”.
On the significance of the quarterly march, Mr. Abubakar said “We are all aware of the challenges the Nigerian state is facing so we must therefore be in the best of forms in terms of our health and physical well-being, to be able to address these challenges”.
“It is very gratifying to note that the leadership of the Nigerian Air Force from the Chief of Staff, to the Branch Chiefs to Directors are all here to participate in this important exercise. The challenges of today requires a sound mind in a sound body”, he added.
Air Marshal Abubakar noted that: “This is why the quarterly route match exercise is an exercise we take seriously, we want to assure Nigerian, by this exercise, that even at the highest level, we are capable, and willing to face the challenges in the Nigerian state”.
