Francis Ogwo
The Nigerian Air Force has deployed additional Special Forces (SF) operatives to Lafia, Nasarawa State towards boosting the operations in the North Central Zone of the Country
This is contained in a release dated 17th of May, 2020 and signed by Air Commodore Ibikunke Daramola, Director of Public Relations and Information of the Nigerian Air Force.
The deployment of the special forces according to the release, is coming after initial deployment of a NAF Mi-35P Helicopter Gunship to carry out operations in the area and to formally activate the 22 Quick Response Wing (22 QRW) Lafia.
The release stated the aim of the deployment as to speed up the peace and security which is gradually eluding the North Central Zone.
Addressing the troops at the deployment, the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, represented by the Air Officer Commanding Special Operations Command (AOC SOC), Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Charles Ohwo, said the deployment would strengthen the security structure already on ground in the area.
Speaking further, he disclosed that the 22 QRW which was set up in 2018 aimed at tackling activities of armed bandits, cattle rustlers, kidnappers and other criminal activities that have held kept citizens almost sleepless especially in Nasarawa State and neighbouring states.
It stated that the operation was in collaboration with its sister agencies and other security outfits, while noting that the unit had hitches in commencement of the operations owing to some manpower and logistics shortfalls.
On this, the AOC’s speech further stated that the hitches were tackled in two ways which were the “recent graduation of additional 94 SF personnel at the NAF Regiment Training Centre (RTC) Annex in Bauchi, while the second was the support provided by the Nasarawa State Government; which paved way for the deployment of the SF elements and their equipment”.
He thanked the state governor for his efforts at curbing the menace of crime in the state through his support for security agencies, while congratulating the troops for making the team as part of SF personnel to activate the 22 QRW Lafia.
He implored them to continue to uphold the NAF’s core values of ‘Integrity’, ‘Service before Self’ and ‘Excellence’, as they carry out their assigned tasks.
In his response, the Executive Governor of Nasarawa State, Engineer Abdulahi Sule, who was on ground to receive the troops, thanked NAF for acting swiftly in deploying the troops, which according to him would make crime and criminality a thing of the past in the state and environs.
Governor Sule stated that “the deployment was evidence of President Muhammadu Buhari’s pragmatic leadership and the importance the current Federal Government Administration attaches to the security of lives and properties of Nigerians in the North Central part of Nigeria”.
He also added that, “no one could have thought that the response to the requests that I made 3 days back, during a meeting with the President, would come into fruition so quickly”.
It would be recalled that residents of Nassarawa State and neighboring FCT have been tormented by hoodlums who kidnap travellers, invade farms and farmers and kill innocent people in the area.
These deployments, many believe would restore the confidence of the people of the state, and especially boost the morale of the existing troops on ground.
