The Niger Delta and the North East, where there are some illegal refineries and terrorist hideouts, respectively, were the targets of effective air interdiction missions, according to the Nigerian Air Force (NAF).
Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, the NAF’s director of public relations and information, announced this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.
The air interdictions, according to Gabkwet, were part of ongoing efforts to stop terrorist, militant, and other criminal forces from destabilizing the country and making life difficult for Nigerians who value peace.
He claimed that on August 27, the Operation Delta Safe (OPDS) air component had conducted air interdiction flights on various illegal refining installations situated at Cawthorne Channels, Bille, and Gogokori in the Degema Local Government Area of Rivers.
A Cotonou boat that was seen to be filled with illegally processed goods and headed into open waters was also engaged and destroyed at Gogokori, according to Gabkwet, who claimed that the illegal refining plants in the vicinity had been targeted and destroyed.
On receiving information on refinery operations at the two places, he further confirmed that similar strikes were carried out at Idama in the AkukuToru Local Government Area and Omoma in the Degema Local Government Area of Rivers.
The NAF spokesperson threatened to eliminate operational illicit refining facilities in both locations that had reservoirs that might have contained illegally processed goods.
Four terrorist camps were also demolished on August 25: three in the Cross River Calabar South Local Government Area and one in the Bakassi Local Government Area.
He continued by saying that the air attacks were approved after it was determined that there were criminals present at the targets.
“Those that attempted to escape through their various escape routes were also attacked. In one of the suspected kidnappers’ camps, a lone structure suspected to be harbouring some kidnapped victims with armed men roaming around the structure was also attacked using guns on board the aircraft. The strikes led to pandemonium, with several kidnapped victims seen escaping,” he said.
The Northeast was the target of strikes on August 25 at Chinene, a terrorist hideaway in the Mandara Mountains that had previously been hit on numerous times, according to a NAF spokeswoman.