Indications have emerged that the Nigerian military authorities have yet to deploy unmanned aerial vehicles in the ongoing operations against the Boko Haram insurgents in the North-East.
A security source said on Thursday that Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Kenneth Minimah, had not ordered the deployment of any drone for the operation.
The source said the current leadership of the military had said nothing on the possibility of Nigeria deploying its own drones in its current anti-terrorism war.
When pressed further, the source said only those who procured the drones would be in a position to talk about them.
“Honestly, nobody can say anything about why unmanned aerial vehicles have not been deployed in the North-East.
“Only those who said that they acquired the drones should speak on their deployment.
“But what I can tell you is that no such unmanned aerial vehicles from the Nigerian military are in operation in the ongoing operation.” the source, who pleaded anonymity, said.
The immediate past Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, has said while handing over to his successor, Lt.-Gen. Keneth Minimah, on January 20, 2014, that the Army had acquired some unmanned aerial vehicles to deal with insurgency in the country.
Ihejirika said at the time that Army authorities were already training pilots to handle the drones.
The former Army chief assured his successor that with the acquisition of the drones in large number, insurgents would not have any hiding place.
However, over four months since he said that, no drones have been deployed to aid the ongoing search for over 200 Nigerian schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram insurgents on April 14, 2014 in Chibok, Borno State.
When contacted for comment on this issue, the Director, Army Public Relations, Brig.-Gen Olajide Laleye, referred our correspondent to the Director, Defence Information, Maj.-Gen. Chris Olukolade.
But Olukolade could not be reached for comments as calls to his mobile telephone line did not connect.
Investigations further revealed that not even the locally-produced unmanned aerial vehicle of the Nigerian Air Force had been deployed in this operation.
The drone has limitations and is not sophisticated enough for action against the insurgency, it was learnt.
“The Air Force drone is not strong enough. It is not the type that is sophisticated enough for that kind of operation. It is just for exercise, it cannot go far in that type of environment,” a security source said.
Acting Minister of Defence at the time, Mr. Labaran Maku, who represented President Goodluck Jonathan at the unveiling of the UAV christened Gulma in December, 2013, said that the drone would “afford the Armed Forces a window of immense opportunities in its task of acquiring timely intelligence and combating criminality, especially in light of the nation’s prevailing security challenges.”
The then Chief of Air Staff and now Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, under whose leadership the drone was produced, said engineers of the NAF carried out the project for $3m which was half of the amount quoted by foreign vendors.
He stated that the Air Force also trained 15 UAV pilots for $500,000 as against $2 million quoted by foreigners to train three of such pilots. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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