The Nigerian Air Force has commenced training for officer cadets on counter-terrorism ahead of their graduation from the Nigerian Defence Academy, (NDA), Kaduna, North-west Nigeria in September 2016.
The training is part of efforts by the Federal Government to expose the future officers to conventional ways of fighting Boko Haram insurgents in the northeast.
Addressing the Cadets of 63 Regular Course on Tuesday during their training at the Ground Training Centre of the Nigerian Air Force Base Kaduna, the Air Secretary, Air Vice Marshal Christian Chukwu, said that the present security challenges facing Nigeria called for effective training of young officers in the art of counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations both within and outside the nation.
He stressed that the Nigerian Air Force was prepared to support the Federal Government in fighting terrorism and other related crimes to a standstill through effective training of the cadets and other ranks.
On his part, the Commandant, Ground Training Centre, Air Commodore Abdulganiyu Olabisi, said that the cadets were subjected to rigorous academic and physical training to develop their endurance level, and also received different lectures on the mode of operation of terrorists as well as techniques to countering terrorism.
The sole aim of the course, according to the Commandant of Ground Training Centre, was to equip the cadets with tactics and techniques of countering terrorism that has become a threat to the nation’s security.
After watching their training session, the Air Secretary, who expressed satisfaction with their level of performance, urged the cadets to take the remaining exercise very seriously, as it would guide them in their future military careers.
The Nigerian Air Force has been a major facilitator and force multiplier in the fight against terrorism in the country through effective training of its personnel, as well as personnel of sister security services.
Over the years, Cadet officers from the Nigerian Defence Academy paid more attention on academic activities, with little physical training, but the advent of the Boko Haram insurgency necessitated the introduction of counter-terrorism and insurgency courses in the curriculum of the institution in order to expose the future officers to modern ways of handling the challenge.
