TheCable

Sadique Abubakar, chief of air staff, says the Nigerian Air Force and other arms of the military will be withdrawing troops from some volatile areas across the country because there is relative peace.

On Monday, Ibok-Ete Ibas, chief of naval staff, said troops in some volatile areas of the country would be withdrawn in the first quarter of 2020.

In a New Year message on Wednesday, Abubakar said the gains the military has recorded across the country “have given rise to the directives for NAF and sister services to gradually scale down involvement in some of these operations”.

The air chief asked the military to double their efforts and sustain pressure on the Boko Haram insurgents.

“Due to the various efforts by us and other security agencies, relative peace has been restored to most parts of the north-central states. Similarly, the activities of pipeline vandals and other criminals in the south-south and south-west have been curtailed,” he said.

“The operations in the north-west zone are also yielding fruits with a gradual reduction in banditry due to effective kinetic operations in early 2019.

“These kinetic operations paved the way for governors in the zone to engage the bandits in dialogue with a view to sustainably achieving peaceful resolution of the security challenges.

“Over the past few years, NAF, along with sister services, had been involved in a number of internal security operations across the country. It is gratifying to note that due to your various efforts as well as those of your colleagues in other security agencies, relative peace has been restored to most parts of the north-central states.

“Similarly, the activities of pipeline vandals and other criminals in the south-south and the south-west have been curtailed.”