Following the July 24 attack on villages in Mashema District of Zurmi local government area in Zamfara, and renewed attacks by bandits in parts of the state, the Federal Government has directed a deployment of 1000-strong mixed force, comprising the Army, Air Force, Police and the Civil Defence to launch counter attacks on the bandits terrorising the villages and towns in the North East state.

Based on the directive, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has also begun the deployment of fighter aircrafts to the Umaru Musa Yar’adua Airport in Katsina, being the closest to Zamfara in order to make for immediate and effective response to the menace posed by the bandits.

The Senior Special Assistant on Media to the President. Malam Garba Shehu, who made the disclosure said:

“This had not been possible in the past because there was no fuel depot facility in Katsina, but NAF has devised a way around the problem.

“The government had to go to this extent because of the limitations of conventional surveillance, as the use of satellite technology could make the task of NAF less problematic. Following directives from the President, at the weekend, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshall Sadiq Abubakar, was in Gusau where he met the Deputy Governor of the State”, he added.

According to Him, this latest directive by the President includes the engagement by NAF, of advanced satellite surveillance technology to help in accurate detection of movement and locations of the bandits, and is expected to beef up security in the state as well as contain future security breaches.

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