By John Ikani
The Federal Government of Nigeria has been told to only deploy Super Tucano Fighter aircrafts to the northern part of the country where Boko Haram terrorists have established strongholds.
Briefing journalists earlier in the week at an event attended by the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth, the US Principal Deputy National Security Advisor, Jonathan Finer said the planes were an important platform for security, particularly in the North.
Finer who was responding to a question on whether the Tucano fighter planes might be deployed against secessionists in the South-East, said: “I think we made it very clear our expectations about this platform where it would be used and in the right way and we are always raising concerns when we have them and that it’s true with all our security partners around the world.
“This is an important platform for security, particularly in the North and we are pleased the transaction is finally concluded.”
This, therefore, precludes the possibility of the Federal Government deploying the security equipment in the South-East despite the designation of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra as a terrorist organisation and the setting up of the armed Eastern Security Network by IPOB.
The South-East has been the epicentre of a secessionist agitation threatening to break up the country.
Also, the military had not been able to deploy the Tucano planes to crush the bandits in the North-West because the agreement signed with the United States was that the aircraft, bought from the US, would be deployed against terrorists and not bandits.
This implies that the fighter planes have only been deployed to fight Boko Haram terrorists in the North-East.
The Federal Government had ordered 12 A-29 Super Tucano aircraft to aid its war against Boko Haram terrorists in the North-East. The aircraft were said to have cost $423m.
On July 22, 2021, the Nigerian Air Force said in a statement by its spokesperson, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, that the first batch of six of the Tucano aircraft arrived at Kano at about 12:34pm.
Those who received the aircraft were the Minister of Defence, Bashir Magashi; Chief of Air Staff, Oladayo Amao and the Chief of Army Staff, Farouk Yahaya, among others.
Also, on October 18, 2021, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the remaining six had been received and had been deployed to the North-East.
