Nigerian Air Force maritime aircraft is scheduled to begin surveillance of the Bakassi-Calabar –Akwa Ibom water channel to monitor the activities of pipeline vandals operating in the area.
Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshall Sadiq Abubakar, who made the disclosure in Calabar, Cross River State on Thursday, when he paid a visit to the 207 Special Mobility Group of the Airforce stationed in Calabar, said that the action was to assist the Nigerian Navy in policing the creeks to put an end to the activities of pipeline vandals who were wreaking havoc on the Nigerian economy.
He said, “We are working with the Navy to assist them in their activities to police the Calabar creeks. There is a comprehensive plan on ground already through the Operation Pulo Shield and the military is working together to ensure that petroleum infrastructure in the South-South are given adequate protection.”
“We are working towards getting rid of these criminals. We need information too from members of the public that will help us curb this menace of oil theft and pipeline vandalism,” he said.
On insurgency, the Air Force chief said that the military was at the final stages of eliminating the activities of the Boko Haram sect.
According to him, the movement of the sect in long convoys from one village to the other, killing innocent people has been curtailed.
He said, “We are not only winning the war against Boko Haram, we are actually at the finishing end of the battle. It is just a matter of time, this issue of insurgency will definitely come to an end. If you visit Maiduguri today and witness the level of economic activities going on, you will believe with me that peace is gradually returning back in that area.”
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