A Nigerian Air Force (NAF) helicopter conveying personnel on medical outreach programme at Gwoza Thursday came under attack by members of the Boko Haram Terrorist (BHT) group.
The Mi-17 helicopter was shot at several times by the insurgents however there was no casualty except for an airman that sustained bullet wound.
The helicopter had departed Maiduguri enroute Gwoza venue of a 2-day medical outreach programme when it came under attack by the insurgents. Nevertheless, the pilot was able to fly the helicopter safely to and from its destination to enable the outreach programme continue uninterrupted.
According to the Director of Public Relations and Information (DOPRI), Group Captain Ayodele Famuyiwa following the attack, the NAF immediately scrambled a fighter aircraft and helicopter gunship to the location between Bama and Gwoza to neutralise the threat. “Intelligent report by ground troops confirmed scores of BHTs were killed, signifying that the air attack on the threat location was successful,” he said.
The NAF has been conducting medical outreach in the North East as part of its humanitarian support to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) with the latest being the Gwoza outreach.