Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, says he has deployed five additional helicopters in Katsina State, as part of efforts to tackle banditry and other crimes in the state and in the North-West region.
Abubakar disclosed this on Tuesday while inspecting an area demarcated for the construction of taxiway, apron, hangar and aircraft shelters at Bakuru village, for the newly proposed Nigerian Air force Central Flying School.
CAS said, “Five additional helicopters including fighter and Alpha jets have been deployed at the Umaru Musa ‘Yar’adua Airport, Katsina State.
“These air assets include among others Augusta 109 powered helicopter NAF Surveillance aircraft, gunship helicopter, fighter and Alpha jets.
“This brings the total number of the air assets to 10 currently operating in the ongoing operation codenamed operation Wutan Daji, a subsidiary of Operation Hadarin Daji.”
Abubakar said that the NAF was totally committed to degrading bandits terrorising Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto and Kaduna states.
“NAF would make it extremely difficult for the bandits to operate in the North-Western region of the country,” he added.