Victory over Boko Haram in sight – Air chief

The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, says the Nigerian military is winning the war against the Boko Haram insurgents in the North-East and other parts of the country.

Abubakar said this on Friday while inaugurating one block of 30-room accommodation for officers and men of the 115 Special Operations Group, Port Harcourt.

He said that many terrorists’ cells in the North-East had been decimated by security forces and assured that victory was in sight.

“The Nigerian military is currently on the path of winning the war against terrorism in the North-East and other parts of the country.

“If you recall, in 2014, terrorists moved in a convoy of 15 to 20 Hilux vehicles; ravaging villages and killing villagers. But that is not the situation on ground now.

“It is true that we have cases of suicide bombings, but we are doing everything humanly possible to contain the insurgents.

“The insurgency may linger for some time but we are capable to deal with the whole issues and make it become a thing of the past.

“We have highly committed Nigerians (military personnel) that are working day and night to ensure that no part of Nigeria is under the control of any group other than the legitimate government,” he said.

Abubakar assured that the military would continue to safeguard the nation’s territorial integrity from any form of external and internal aggressions.

He refuted claims that the military had a penchant for committing collateral damages in its operations in the northern parts of the country.

According to him, the military should be commended and encouraged for its selfless service to the nation rather than being condemned by some.

Abubakar explained that the 115 SOG Air Force unit played a very critical role in various security operations in the country.

“We are on a visit to the unit to access preparedness of the unit while improving on welfare of troops for effective and efficient service delivery,” the air chief said.