Kidnapping: NAF to begin periodic aerial surveillance in Edo

The Nigerian Air Force is set to begin periodic air surveillance to check the activities of kidnappers in parts of Edo state.

The planned operation is in partnership with the Edo State government.

The State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, gave this indication, when he received the new Commander, 107 Air Maritime Group, Nigerian Air Force Base Benin, Group Captain Nasiru Saidu, during a courtesy visit to Government House.

He disclosed that the planned collaboration was informed by the equipment in the strategic operations unit of the Air Force, which he said would be useful to the state’s security architecture.

Obaseki said: “I spoke with the Chief of Air Staff, soliciting his support to curb the current rate of kidnapping in the state.

“As a government, we have continued to invest in infrastructure such as the night landing facility installed at the Benin Airport which your men are helping us to secure.”

The governor, who promised his administration’s readiness to support the operations of the Air Force, assured the new Commander that he would look into their request for Certificate of Occupancy for their landed property and see ways to intervene in the property under dispute.

The governor also noted that the proposed comprehensive school and medical facility to be established by the Air Force would be for the benefit of Edo residents.

“We will help to make sure the school is set up and we are keen on building one of your flagship hospitals here in Edo State to complement our medical ecosystem,” Obaseki added.

Earlier, Group Captain Nasiru Saidu, who replaced Wing Commander Fatai Ganiyu, promised to deepen collaborations with other security agencies to check activities of criminals in the state.

Saidu also sought the help of the governor in resolving disputes surrounding their landed properties.