Pilots have opened up for the first time about their roles in the war against terrorism ravaging the Northern part of the country
- According to some of the pilots, the Boko Haram terrorists are seen as 'a group of nuisance requiring unnecessary attention'
- They also spoke of how, as pilot fighters, they needed to be careful so as not to kill innocent Nigerians as Boko Haram insurgents are fond of using hostages as shields
Squadron Leader Olusola Adeniyi
The battle against the Boko Haram insurgents who had turned the Northeast of the country into a battle ground could not have been won at the dreaded Sambisa Forest without the efforts of some gallant soldiers.
In a report, some of the young Nigerian Air Force pilots who played various roles in the capture of the dreaded Sambisa Forest spoke exclusively to The Nation about their firsthand experiences for the first time
According to Flight Lieutenant (Captain) Sam Haastrup, a veteran in the fight against insurgency who spoke to The Nation.
“I am a fighter pilot with the Nigerian Air Force, 103 Strike Group, Yola. I have been in this campaign for the past three years and that is what I am doing for a living right now. I am doing the job as much as possible and I am trying to pay back for the colleagues that we have lost in this war.”
“Yes, at the beginning of this campaign in 2013 and 2014, I was shot more than once but still managed to fly back to a safe landing location. But with time, tactics on how to avoid being shot evolved. So far, I am alive to tell my story. I only pray that God will keep the families of our colleagues who have passed on in this campaign,” he said.
However, despite his many encounters with death, Haastrup told The Nation that he sees the insurgents as “a group of nuisance requiring unnecessary attention.”
Going further, Haastrup said: “I have no fear of any kind. Even though I understand it’s normal to have a little fear because that gives you a reason to stay alive. But my worry is that the insurgents having to use innocent Nigerians as human shield when they see aircraft coming. So, my concern is not to hit innocent citizens. However, we ensure that we are in a fight with only the insurgents before we open fire. We don’t ever engage without proper clearance that we are fighting only the insurgents.”
Flying Officer (Lieutenant) Goni
However, for Flying Officer (Lieutenant) Goni, he said: “Owing to the fact that I came from the Northeast, I know how much the people have suffered. So, whenever I am on any mission, I go with the mind that I want to see Borno people smiling the way they were smiling before.”
He also went further to say: “To become a fighter pilot, you have to undergo a series of training and my first mission, I was like an observer behind and it was pretty cool. There are some scenes you only see in films and I used to think they were film tricks but they are real.”
As a fighter, Goni noted that: “You have to consider a lot of things. In Sambisa, there are captives and the insurgents have a lot of hostages that we don’t want to hit. If it is to go and raid Sambisa Forest, I think it is something that could be done in a twinkle of an eye. But there are people there that we don’t want to kill.
Speaking on his mindset whenever he goes out to battle, He said: “What goes on in my mind is that I am going to fight the bad guys. We call them bad guys because they have wreaked a lot of havoc and inflicted pains on our people. So, when I am fighting, I say ‘this is my own quota’ of eliminating these bad guys because the fewer the bad guys, the better our society. So, it is always a good thing for my going on a mission, it gives me that hope that I am here fighting for my people and Nigeria as a whole.”
On his part, squadron Leader Olusola Adeniyi who was the first pilot to land in Sambisa after the clear-out in his enthusiasm told The Nation:
“Landing in Sambisa Forest shortly after the fall of Camp Zairo would linger for a very long time in my memory. It was an infamous place where all I could do for a very long time was to fly over. Eventually, I got the opportunity to land there. I took a senior military officer into Sambisa Forest where he met with the troops and addressed them and appreciated them for the work. I felt very proud to fly the first helicopter to land in that area and the personality that I took there,” Adeniyi said.
Flying Officers (Lieutenants)Ahmed Safianu Saley and Emmanuel Balogun
Going further, he added that: “When we landed, the sight there wasn’t the best – mostly deserted; the small communities around that area had been ravaged and burnt. The after-effect of what the insurgency had done to Nigeria and particularly the Northeast, to me in particular is very painful, but I am glad about the progress we have made and that people can return to their homes. Hopefully, normalcy will return to those areas,” he said.
On the other hand, Flying Officers (Lieutenants)Ahmed Safianu Saley and Emmanuel Balogun whose jobs are to conduct one of the most important duties of any battle: Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) spoke about their duties in the war against terrorism.
“We are like the eyes. I have seen quite a lot of things in Sambisa and most of them are classified. I can tell you we see our ground troops and we give them the accurate location of the enemy. So, they will not be caught unawares.” Saley said.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Air Force has released the guidelines for Airmen/Airwomen recruitment exercise 2017.
According to information made available on NAF's Facebook page, interested applicants are to apply free of charge online at www.airforce.mil.ng for free.
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