Nigeria’s Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Oladayo Amao has assured that the military will win the war against bandits, terrorists, and other criminal elements in the country.
According to the Chief of Air Staff, the military has developed better strategies that have ensured the insurgents have been limited in their operations and activities.
Bibian Anekwe News understands Amao made the submission during a virtual media chat between journalists and service chiefs tagged – Open Ears Dialogue.
Amao added that most of the leaders of the insurgents have been killed during military operations and this has weakened the terrorists while many of them have been surrendering in droves.
Bandits and terrorists recruit quickly. As we take them out, they recruit. But we are now taking them out faster than they are recruiting,” Amao said as quoted by Daily Trust.
“Most of the self-acclaimed leaders of terror are gone. Most of the false ideologies are being corrected. Most of their funding has been cut off. Most of their hideouts have been discovered,” the chief of air staff said.
“So some things are now more obvious to the terrorists. There is a higher probability to survive if they surrender.
It is a war that they cannot win, so surrendering is the only way.
“More than 36,000 have surrendered. We expect thousands more to follow in the days ahead.”
Speaking further, Amao accused some leaders of the Niger Delta region of sponsoring illegal crude oil refinery sites.
The military chief warned that the attempt by the leaders of the region to keep everyone satisfied has created more problems than solutions.
He advocated that the option of modular refineries can be explored in the Niger Delta to curb security and other challenges facing the region.
“I cannot give you the formula for success in the Niger Delta, but I can give you the formula for failure, which is: Try to please everybody,” he said.
We have observed that some leaders in the Niger Delta have been trying to please everybody. This has created more problems than solutions.
“We believe there should be more political will, followed by action. There is a growing gap in exemplary leadership in some of the local government areas. Some leaders have been accused of sponsoring illegal crude oil refining sites.
“What is required goes beyond security. Stakeholders have to dialogue, negotiate and design innovative means that leads to a win-win solution. For instance, the development of modular refineries should be explored, in partnership with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited and communities.
Currently, our operations in the Niger Delta have more emphasis on intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR).”
