NAF Deploys Additional Air Assets to Tackle Insecurity in North Central Region
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has deployed more air assets under Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) to intensifying its aerial operations in Benue, Nasarawa, and Taraba States.
The latest deployment, announced on Tuesday to scale-up NAF’s contribution to joint military operations aimed at dismantling criminal networks, including bandits, militia groups, and kidnappers terrorising rural communities.
Speaking during a high-level assessment visit to Tactical Air Command Headquarters in Makurdi on Tuesday, the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hasan Bala Abubakar, reaffirmed the NAF’s commitment to providing real-time intelligence, precision targeting, and decisive aerial support to ground forces.
“Our aircraft have continued to conduct surveillance, armed reconnaissance, close air support, and precision strike missions with remarkable success,” Air Marshal Abubakar stated.
“This enhanced deployment aligns with the Federal Government’s broader mission to stabilise the Middle Belt and restore normalcy.”
Present at the strategy meeting were top military figures including the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede, a representative of the Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Olusegun Ferreira, the OPWS Commander, as well as the maritime and air component commanders. The gathering served as a critical review of joint operational progress and planning.
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Air Marshal Abubakar noted that the intensified air operations have led to the destruction of multiple militia camps and bandit hideouts in the region. He assured citizens that the NAF remains resolute in its mission to protect lives and properties.
“As long as peace is threatened, our resolve remains unshaken, the Nigerian Air Force will continue to deliver timely, decisive air support in synergy with sister services, ensuring national security and public safety,” he declared.
He said the operation has already yielded significant gains in recent weeks, with coordinated air and ground offensives forcing many criminal elements to flee their bases.
The Service Chiefs jointly reiterated the need for continued inter-agency collaboration, stressing that operational synergy remains crucial to defeating security threats in the region.
They emphasized that the success of Operation Whirl Stroke depends on sustained unity of purpose among Nigeria’s security services.
Operation Whirl Stroke was launched to address the rising wave of violence and displacement in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, where communal clashes, militia activities, and banditry have displaced thousands and destabilised rural economies.
The renewed deployment of air assets comes at a time when many communities in Benue, Nasarawa, and Taraba are still recovering from the aftermath of mass killings and village raids.
Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, Director of Public Relations and Information for the NAF, in a statement, assured that the Air Force remains committed to national peacebuilding efforts and will not relent until security is fully restored.
By PRNigeria
