Militancy: Defence Confirms Fresh Air Offensives Against Pipeline Vandals

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Tuesday, August 2nd, 2016

By Funmilayo Omidiji

OGUN, NIGERIA (AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Less than a week after its first offensive, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has confirmed that the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) again struck Tuesday at the criminals’ hideouts and camps, harbouring pipeline vandals in Arepo community, Ogun State suburb and
its environs.

The latest operation (air strike) which is in continuation of Thursday, July 28 action, the Military explained in a released was aimed at providing air support for the Joint Task Force, recently set-up by the Defence Headquarters and codenamed “OPERATION AWATSE” “ to dislodge pipeline vandals in the South West region of the country.

Defence stated that there were strong indications based on analysis of the enclosed footage on Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), as well as Strike and, Battle Damage Assessment (BDA) missions undertaken by NAF aircraft that the vandals have been “sufficiently displaced from their current locations at Arepo” and their activities disrupted.

The Military informed that its men were still trailing the suspected criminals who might have relocated deep inside the Mangrove Forest.

NAF is at present operating in 4 zones across the country to tackle various forms of internal security challenges. They include insurgency in the North East; cattle rustling, kidnapping and armed robbery in the North West; militancy in the South-South; and pipeline vandalism in the South West.