N20m Cash: Airforce, WSJ Bicker Over Payment To Bandits

By James Orji

The Nigerian Air force has denied report by the Wall Street Journal, WSJ that it paid bandits N20 million in exchange for an anti-aircraft gun.

The American based online newspaper had claimed in a report that the sum was paid to retrieve the anti-aircraft gun seized by the bandits recently.

It said the weapon could be used to bring down President Muhammadu Buhari’s aircraft whenever he visits Katsina, his home state.

On 18 July, a Nigerian Air Force, NAF Alpha Jet aircraft, was shut down by bandits while returning from a successful air raid between the boundaries of Zamfara and Kaduna State. The pilot of the bomber jet, Abayomi Dairo escaped by hairs’ breath. The incident, Defence analysts insist, further proved the capability of criminal elements such as Boko Haram and bandits to use sophisticated weapons to bring down any aircraft flying on the nation’s airspace.

WSJ claimed in the report that “nearly $50,000 in crisp Nigerian bank notes, wasn’t for a person, but to retrieve a weapon that directly threatened the country’s president,” the newspaper reports.

“A kidnapping gang encamped in Nigeria’s Rugu forest had seized an antiaircraft gun in a clash with a military unit. That posed a threat to President Muhammadu Buhari, who had been planning to fly to his hometown about 80 miles away, and the government needed to buy it back.

“An hour later, the officer, who declined to be identified, was clasping hands with a leader of a diffuse network of criminals whose campaign of kidnapping civilians — including hundreds of schoolchildren — has raised millions of dollars to build an arsenal of heavy weaponry they are using to wrest control of swaths of the north, including the president’s home state.

“Over tea, the militant leader agreed to part with the truck-mounted 12.7 calibre anti-aircraft gun in exchange for the ransom,” WSJ said in the report.

But in a swift reaction, Edward Gabkwet, the spokesperson for the Nigerian Airforce, said in a statement, that the bandits were not paid, describing the report as “spurious allegation that was undoubtedly designed to cast aspersions on the good image of the Service.”

According to him “the said report is totally false. It should therefore be taken as fake news and disregarded. Indeed, we ordinarily would not have responded to such baseless and utterly illogical allegation but for the need to set the record straight as well as reaffirm the NAF’s unflinching commitment to decisively dealing with the armed bandits and all other criminal elements in the country in partnership with other services of the Armed Forces and other security Agencies.

“For the avoidance of doubt, it must be stated that there is no basis for the NAF to pay bandits or any criminal elements that it has continued to attack and decimate in Katsina State, other parts of the North-West as well as other Theatres of Operation in the Country.

“Indeed, as recent as October 12, 2021, NAF aircraft conducted 5 missions in the Jibia general area and engaged targets with rockets and cannons at Bala Wuta bandits’ locations in Kadaoji.

“Similar successes were recorded at Fakai Dutsin Anfare, an area in Jibia LGA known for its high incidences of bandits’ activities. The false reportage therefore, begs the question as to why the NAF would negotiate for a weapon allegedly seized and still carry out air interdiction missions on the same bandits and their strongholds.”

He said further that the report could be targeted at whittling down the recent gains made by the Nigerian armed forces against bandits and criminal elements in northern parts of the country, adding that this will not stop the resolve to rid the country of insecurity.

He said “the NAF is of the view that, this latest false report could be a part of a campaign to further the cause of insecurity in Nigeria by elements who see the NAF as a threat following series of successful exploits in operations against criminal gangs.

“Perhaps, this provides an avenue for the NAF to yet again appeal to members of the media, both local and international, as well as social media, to be circumspect in their reportage and endeavour to always verify their facts before going public. The public is enjoined to disregard the falsehood emanating from some sections of the social and mainstream media.

“The NAF also uses this opportunity to call on citizens to continue to cooperate with security agencies as efforts are ongoing to rid the entire Nation of criminals and their activities.

“On our part, the NAF, as a professional and disciplined force, will not in any way be discouraged from carrying out its mandate to rid the entire North-West Nigeria of banditry and other forms of criminality,” Gabkwet said.