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Boko Haram: Chief Of Air Staff Optimistic About Meeting December Deadline

By Njadvara Musa, Maiduguri
31 October 2015   |   4:11 am
THE Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshall Sadiq Baba Abubakar has said that with over 1,488 airstrikes conducted in the North East sub-region of the country, the December deadline of President Muhammadu Buhari to defeat Boko Haram terrorists could be achieved to ensure peace.
Chief of Air Staff, Sadiq Abubakar

Chief of Air Staff, Sadiq Abubakar

THE Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshall Sadiq Baba Abubakar has said that with over 1,488 airstrikes conducted in the North East sub-region of the country, the December deadline of President Muhammadu Buhari to defeat Boko Haram terrorists could be achieved to ensure peace.

Abubakar gave the assurance on Thursday in Maiduguri while addressing newsmen on the measures the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has taken to end Boko Haram insurgency by December this year. He said it is very possible to meet the President’s deadline on ending terrorism so that the over two million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from various communities could return and sleep with their eyes closed.

His words: “We’re going to meet the President’s deadline. From what we have seen, it is possible to meet this deadline and we are working towards meeting that December deadline.

You can see from the morale of the troops, it is very clear that they are willing to go in. We are doing everything humanly possible. Our objective is to make sure that the people in our towns and villages can sleep peacefully without fearing that anybody is going to come and set their houses on fire and slit their throats.”

On challenges of meeting deadline, Abubakar said: “There are a number of challenges. What I can tell you is that there are no challenges that we cannot succumb. Despite those challenges, we have conducted about 1,488 sorties (air strikes) in the last two months alone. We have conducted both air and interdiction and air close support and support of troops on ground move from one location to another.

“This is done for us to have air surveillances so that members of the affected communities can go back to their houses and pursue their aspirations without any hindrance. The air strikes are ongoing; as I address you now gentlemen of the press. We’re intensifying and making sure that it is impossible for these terrorists to occupy our territory; and we are really making sure that we get them out from wherever they are now before the deadline given by the President”.

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