The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Oladayo Amao, has charged the Air Task Force (ATF) of Operation LAFIYA DOLE (OPLD) to sustain the onslaught against Boko Haram Terrorists (BHT)/Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) elements in the North East of the Country, working in synergy with sister Services and other security agencies, in order to ensure total defeat of the terrorists.
The CAS gave this charge on 8th February 2021, while addressing personnel during his maiden operational visit to the ATF Headquarters in Maiduguri and the 171 Nigerian Air Force Detachment (171 NAF Det) in Monguno to assess the conduct of the Counter-Insurgency Operation as well as inspect facilities and ongoing projects.
The CAS, who arrived Maiduguri from Abuja in company of his counterpart, the Chief of Army Staff, Major General Ibrahim Attahiru, commended the ATF for the recent successes recorded in the renewed offensive by the Land and Air Components of OPLD, while stating that the NAF Headquarters would continue to provide all necessary support to ensure “the sustenance of critical airpower capabilities required for joint force employment in pursuit of national security imperatives”.
In his address, the CAS, who was earlier given an update on the conduct of the ATF’s operations by the Commander ATF OPLD, Air Commodore Abubakar Abdulkadir, conveyed the appreciation of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces (C-in-C), President Muhammadu Buhari, as well as the Honourable Minister of Defence (HMOD), Major General Bashir Magashi (retired), to the personnel for their relentless efforts in the fight against insurgency. He equally thanked the personnel for the prayers and congratulatory messages that followed his appointment as CAS.
