NAF Apologises for Rann Bombing, Says It Remains Traumatic for Pilots

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) on Monday said the bombing of Rann and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp in Borno State has remained a traumatic incident to its pilots fighting Boko Haram insurgency in the North-east.

While tendering apologies to victims of the Rann bombing, NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Olatokunbo Adesanya, said authorities are working hard to prevent any future incident.

He said: “Sequel to the official statement by the Defence Headquarters on the unfortunate Rann bombing incident on 17 January 2017, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), being the service directly involved in the incident, would once more like to convey its deepest regrets to all concerned.

“It is important to reiterate that no NAF pilot leaves his base with the intention of going to kill the same set of people that he greatly sacrifices day and night to protect.

“The unfortunate bombing of innocent civilians in Rann, Borno State has, therefore, remained a traumatic incident for the NAF pilots involved and indeed, the entire NAF community.

“The NAF and other stakeholders are already taking necessary measures to prevent a recurrence of the unfortunate incident.”

Adesanya stated: “For instance, they are engaging humanitarian organisations in the North-east with a view to understanding their programmes and locations of such programmes in order to prevent gaps in communication.”

Meanwhile, the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, has directed appropriate NAF officials to intensify humanitarian intervention schemes for IDPs at Rann and other parts of the North-east.

Adesanya added: “There is an ongoing NAF medical outreach programme during which over 164 IDPs from various IDP Camps in Borno State have undergone free surgical operations in the NAF medical facility in Maiduguri. The programme is still ongoing and is scheduled to last for another three days.
“The NAF solicits the understanding and support of all Nigerians and members of the international community regarding the tragic incident.

“More importantly, the NAF again extends its most sincere condolences to all the families of the victims of the incident.
“The NAF assures the general public that it remains resolute in its task of preserving the territorial integrity of Nigeria and ensuring the security of all Nigerians,” Adesanya stressed.

Comments

Understanding Prof. Yemi Osinbajo - Abraham Ogbodo

Abraham Ogbodo I am trying to understand Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Often, he speaks out of character. That is, he talks as if he is Vice President before he is a professor of law, even when I know that the latter comes first. The man wasn’t like this when he was the attorney general of Lagos State and a teacher at the Law Faculty of the University of Lagos. Then, his statements were measured and as a seasoned lawyer, based on facts. But today, Osinbajo is sounding like Adams Oshiomhole, a union leader, who by the grace of God, became governor of Edo State for eight years. The revelations about big thefts in the economy had come more from Adams than even Ibrahim Magu, chairman of the EFCC. It was Adams who said former petroleum minister; Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke alone stole 13 billion British pounds from the national treasury. That is like saying she stole in raw cash almost twice as much as the entire fortune of Alhaj...

Boko Haram’s campaign against education and enlightenment - By Landry Signe

Nelson Mandela once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Boko Haram, the Islamist terrorist group originating from Nigeria is frightened by this enlightening power of education. Unsurprisingly, on Monday, February 19, the group, whose name often translates to “Western education is a sin,” stormed a girls’ school in the village of Dapchi in northern Nigeria to abduct students. Of the 907 schoolgirls who were in the school the day of the attack, more than 100 are still missing as of Sunday. Since it became violent about a decade ago, Boko Haram’s actions, through these and other types of bloody attacks, have resulted in horrifying consequences. Human Rights Watch estimates that Boko Haram has left at least 7 million in need of humanitarian assistance, 2.1 million displaced, and 20,000 civilians dead. Local leaders claim the number is significantly higher. Despite such causalities, it took Boko Haram’s massive kidnapping of 276 sch...

FG borrows N3.38bn To Aid Potato Production in Plateau

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) wednesday approved N3.38 billion to boost the production of potatoes in Plateau State. The Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, who made the disclosure said the money would be borrowed from Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) with one per cent interest rate and 25 years moratorium. The minister who said the loan was not fresh, explained that it had previously been cancelled by the federal government with the intention to make a fresh request for the loan on behalf of Plateau State which she said was responsible for 95 per cent of potato production in the country. According to her, following ADB’s comprehensive programme on potato production in Plateau State, 100,000 families and 17 local government areas of Plateau State would benefit from the loan while 60,000 jobs would be created by the initiative. “My approval was on behalf of Plateau State to support the potato value chain. There is a loan that we had previously cancelled from ...

ATTENCAO

Search This Blog