Gallant Fighter Pilot Kills Many Bandits, Ejects From Aircraft Before It Crashed • Excited CDS, CAS Receive Pilot
By Trek Africa Newspaper
(The gallant pilot, Flight Lieutenant Abayomi Dairo in a group photograph with the CDS, General Lucky Irabor; CAS, Air Marshal Oladayo Amao; CDI, Major General Samuel Adebayo and others)
A delighted Chief of Defence Staff of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, General Lucky Irabor together with the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Oladayo Amao were on hand to receive the gallant pilot in Kaduna State.
…NAF Neutralise Hundreds Of Bandits In Three Months
The gallant pilot of the Alpha Jet aircraft that crashed on Sunday in Zamfara State, North Western region of Nigeria, Flight Lieutenant Abayomi Dairo, successfully ejected from the aircraft before it crashed.
(Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor hugs Flight Lieutenant Abayomi Dairo).
(Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Oladayo Amao also hugs the gallant pilot)
In a statement issued by the Director of Public Relations and Information of the Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, he states, “On 18 July 2021, at about 12.45pm, a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Alpha Jet aircraft, returning from a successful air interdiction mission between the boundaries of Zamfara and Kaduna State, came under intense enemy fire which led to its crash in Zamfara State. Luckily, using his survival instincts, the pilot, who came under intense ground fire from the bandits, was able to evade them and sought refuge in nearby settlements awaiting sunset. Using the cover of darkness and his phone set for navigation, Flight Lieutenant Dairo was able to elude several bandits’ strongholds and maneuvered his way to a Nigerian Army Unit, where he was finally rescued”.
The statement continues, “It is instructive to note that upon receipt of the news of the crash, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, had directed that all efforts must be emplaced to rescue the pilot. Accordingly, NAF Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance (ISR) platforms and helicopter gunships provided close air support to NAF Special Forces and Nigerian Army troops who were able to locate the crash site and the pilot’s parachute, while also combing nearby locations for any sign of the pilot.
“It is gladdening to note that while in hiding, Flight Lieutenant Dairo confirmed that the presence of NAF aircraft within the vicinity of the crash site helped in scaring the bandits who were after him, thus enabling him to find refuge and escape to a safe location”.
This medium gathered that following the directive by President Muhammadu Buhari to the Armed Forces of Nigeria to flush out criminal elements in Katsina, Zamfara and Kaduna States, the Nigerian Air Force working with other security agencies has intensified day and night air interdiction operations against bandits and their hideouts, especially in these three States.
In his statement, Air Commodore Gabkwet, added, “Through these intensive air operations, hundreds of bandits have been neutralized and several of their hideouts destroyed.
“Despite the setback of yesterday’s crash, the NAF remains committed towards fulfilling Mr President’s mandate as well as other constitutional roles assigned to it. The willingness, readiness and tested ability of the NAF remains unshaken and unwavering as it continues to carry out its assigned roles”.
