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BBOG releases findings on Sambisa Forest tour

By Njadvara Musa, Maiduguri
23 January 2017   |   4:40 am
The Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) delegation that went on tour of the Sambisa Forest in Borno State has made public its observations.
The team, who were carried in two Beechcraft 350 surveillance aircraft, departed the Yola Air Force Base at about 2.30 p.m. PHOTO: TWITTER/ NIGERIAN AIR FORCE

The team, who were carried in two Beechcraft 350 surveillance aircraft, departed the Yola Air Force Base at about 2.30 p.m. PHOTO: TWITTER/ NIGERIAN AIR FORCE

The Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) delegation that went on tour of the Sambisa Forest in Borno State has made public its observations.

Led by its convener, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili in company of Aisha Yesufu, Ibrahim Usman, a representative of Chibok community, Dr. Manasseh Allen as well as local and foreign media organisations, the group embarked on the January 16 and 17, 2017 guided exercise led by the Minister of Defence, Brig.-Gen. Mansur Dan-Ali (rtd) and his Information and Culture counterpart, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

In their report, the delegation confirmed interacting with the leadership of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), just as they expressed satisfaction at the personnel and equipment on ground.

“We can confirm that the air component of the counter-insurgency war is being prosecuted by a highly professional, capable, motivated and committed team of NAF.

“Furthermore, the presentation by the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, on the training and human capital development strategy of the force enabled us to appreciate its plans for the future. We saw that data, knowledge and information analysis play a significant role in the strategy of NAF prosecuting the air component of the war.

“Our exposure to the Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) platform and the technical room of NAF indicated the level of adoption of technology in the prosecution of the war,” the report read in part.

The BBOG team also appreciated the synergy between NAF and the Nigerian Army, which prosecutes the ground component of the offensive.

The report added: “We were provided data and imagery evidence to show that the search for our Chibok girls and other abducted citizens is a daily activity by NAF. The data sheet showing the summary of all search operations was displayed with the following key data points over the last 18 months: Total missions to Sambisa General Area – 2,105, number of sorties— 3,534, time/hour of flight – 6,323, fuel cost: Over N2.4 billion.”

According to the group, the three-hour search flight on the ISR medium at 15,000 feet, provided members the opportunity to have a clear view of the Theatre of War in the once dreaded forest.

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    Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State yesterday declared reports of the abduction of more than 250 girls from Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State as a ruse staged to frustrate the re-election of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
    Kashamu who stated this in a statement he issued in Ijebu-Igbo, Ogun State on Sunday said, “It was a misnormer that the governors of an opposition party that is in need of rebranding and repositioning could chose a liability, a loud mouth and an immature politician like Fayose as the Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum.

    Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/01/kashamu-slams-fayose-declares-unfit-pdp-govs-forum-chair/ “There are those who are better educated, well-cultured and better exposed who are not working against the interest of their people and country. We have Governors who have held public offices since the return to democracy in 1999 but who are untainted. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) does not have any case against them. Those are the kind of people that could have been chosen to lead the Forum, not one with a goodwill deficit whose hands have been found in the public till.”

    Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/01/kashamu-slams-fayose-declares-unfit-pdp-govs-forum-chair/
    Kashamu said Fayose has about 12 months before he will use his usual turban and attempt to escape through Benin Republic to Ghana because of all the messy things he has done with Ekiti State resources and ONSA funds and for which he would be held accountable.

    Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/01/kashamu-slams-fayose-declares-unfit-pdp-govs-forum-chair/