The Chief of Air Staff, Air Mashall Isiaka Amao, Thursday said that Air-power alone cannot win the war against insurgency, noting that the collective efforts of military, civil society organisations and all other stakeholders would go a long way in tackling insecurity bedeviling the growth of the country.

Amao made the comment when he was asked to react on the effectiveness of Super Tucano supplied to Nigeria.

“I also want to clarify that air-power alone cannot win this war. It will take a collective efforts like the Chief of Defence Staff has said. The military, civil society organisation and all other stakeholders. While the Super Tucano is going to play a very prominent role, lets not seat-back and think that the Super Tucano is going to end this war. It’s going to happen. Its going to be a collective effort.”

However, answering another question on the state of investigation of the victims of accidental air-strike in Yobe, Air Vice Mashal James gwani, the Chief of Training and Operations headquarters Nigerian Air force, who represented Chief of Air Staff , Air Mashall Isiaka Amao opined:

“All I can tell for now is that the investigation is ongoing. It’s a very painstaking process, and we are in constant communication with Yobe State government and the moment the investigation is completed, I am sure Nigerians, will be told the outcome.”

There was also another question about the use of Super Tucano, someone said when they come, the whole problem is going to  be solved.

That is a misunderstanding of the air power particularly in the kind of operations we are conducting. Yes the super Tucano has brought a lot of bite to the fight, and I can tell you for a fact that as we speak now, the air planes are operating in the North-East.

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Just yesterday, I had a meeting with the commander out there and the vendors who supply us the air planes to review the operations of the air crafts and I can tell you for a fact that there’s very positive response as to the effectiveness of the operations of those air-planes in the theatre of operations but

I also want to clarify that air-power alone cannot win this war. It will take a collective efforts like the Chief of Defence Staff has said. The military, civil society organisation and all other stakeholders. While the Super Tucano is going to play a very prominent role, lets not seat-back and think that the Super Tucano is going to end this war. It’s going to happen. Its going to be a collective effort.

There was also another question that the Air Force denying that our plane crashed in Kaduna.

You will recall that the first news that came out was that an air force plane flew from Yola and crashed in Kaduna. We came out to tell Nigerians that we didn’t have any air-plane that flew-in from Yola. Of course we knew we had lost an air-plane in Zamfara, a combat search and rescue had already been launched, we knew the Pilot was alive and the bandits were searching for him.

It would have been improper to come-out to say no this was where the plane landed. We would have put the lives of the pilot and those conducting the combat and rescue in danger. So we had to delay and made sure that those conducting the search did not compromised. Like you know, eventually we got the pilot out. We didn’t have any desire to deceive anybody, but operational conditions that bothered on the safety of the pilot and those who are conducting the search and rescue was more pre-eminent. That informed how we reacted in that particular situation.

There was also another question about another air-craft that was brought down in the north east. Yes the combat search and rescue is ongoing. It will also interest you to know that we are working and soliciting the support of not only our immediate neighbours where that air craft went down and when that plane is found, we can come out and tell Nigerians this is what really happened.

Vanguard News Nigeria