Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, has said the power competition between the United States, Russia, and China in Africa and the withdrawal of Niger Republic troops from the Multinational Joint Task Force has aggravated security challenges in the Sahel Region.
He said the development had caused the influx of more weapons and terrorists into Nigeria.
Abubakar disclosed this yesterday during a meeting with branch chiefs, air officers commanding and directors, and the entire senior leadership cadre of the Nigerian Air Force in Abuja.
At the meeting, which coincided with his one year in office, Air Marshal Abubakar said the Russia-Ukraine War had constrained NAF sourcing of aircraft spares and maintenance of the Mi-series helicopters, which are crucial in its counter-terrorism/counter-insurgency operations.
He said, “As Nigeria faces security challenges, the USA has provided support for acquiring aircraft and associated munitions for counterterrorism operations. Likewise, the Nigerian Air Force has acquired aircraft and munitions from China and Russia and continues to engage in military cooperation.
“Consequently, balancing these relationships is crucial for Nigeria’s security interests,” he said.
The air chief added the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, and the sporadic attacks by the Houthi rebels on shipping lines through the Red Sea showed “the devastating impact of non-state actors’ access to emerging technologies such as autonomous drones, satellite communications and Artificial intelligence”.
Abubakar continued, “We should thus be concerned that the actions of these non-state actors would be copied and replicated by other insurgents and terrorists in Nigeria.”
The air chief stated that the upsurge in coup detat and the withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have negative impacts on “our collective regional security architecture.”
The junta, citing the failure of ECOWAS to address jihadist violence in their countries, has turned to Russia for security assistance.
“Additionally, the withdrawal of UN troops from MINUSMA, 2,000 Chadian troops from Mali as well as Niger Republic troops from the Multi-National Joint Task Force could aggravate the security challenges in the Sahel Region, causing the influx of more weapons and terrorists into Nigeria. Invariably, this situation militates against our counterinsurgency efforts.
“Consequently, we would likely witness a continued growth in the pattern of threats I have previously highlighted. Hence, it is no gainsaying that we must be proactive and intensify our efforts to meet the Federal Government and Nigerian citizens’ expectations for an expeditious actualisation of a peaceful, safe and secure nation for prosperity to thrive,” Abubakar said.
He, however, stated that the NAF, in the last 12 months, achieved modest yet significant progress in fighting insurgency, terrorism, banditry, oil theft and other criminal activities in the country.
“Yet, there is so much more to do. The harsh economic realities, such as high youth unemployment rate, increasing inflation, and high multi-dimensional poverty, have further aggravated the security situation in the country. Therefore, we must have this leadership meeting to holistically review our performances and actions in the past 12 months in transforming the Nigerian Air Force to meet the air power demands of Nigeria’s security effectively,” he said.