NAF Denies Paying N20m To Bandits For Buhari’s Safe Passage

Reports that the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) paid a N20m bounty to Katsina bandits to guarantee safe passage for President Muhammadu Buhari during the last Sallah Holidays have been denied.

The influential Wall Street Journal had earlier reported that NAF, via its top personnel paid the sum of N20 Million to the bandits to recover a powerful anti-aircraft gun in the hands of the marauders inside Jibia Local Government Area (LGA) of Katsina State.

It was reported that the NAF was afraid that the bandits could have used it to shoot down the presidential jet when the president came for the Sallah Holiday.

Air Commodore Edward Gabwet, NAF Director of Public Relations and Information in a statement Sunday, described the allegation that NAF paid the bandits N20m for Buhari’s safe passage as “false and fake news.”

“The NAF wishes to categorically state that there is absolutely no iota of truth in the spurious allegation that was undoubtedly designed to cast aspersions on the good image of the Service. 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,” NAF said.

The NAF affirmed that there was no basis to negotiate with the same bandits that it had regularly attacked in Katsina and other parts of the Northwest as it denied paying the N20 million to ensure safe passage for President Buhari’s presidential jet.

“Indeed, as recent as 12 October 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,” NAF said.

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