JTF bans drone operation in Northeast
By Tada Juthan, Maiduguri
The Joint Task Force, Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), has banned the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), known as drones, in the Northeast.
The Air Commander of OPHK, Air Commodore UU Idris, on Wednesday in Maiduguri, stated: “The proliferation of drones for domestic and commercial uses poses security threats in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states,” warning that it raises security concerns over the protection of people’s lives and property in the region.
He stated that the security concerns largely stem from the use of drones by non-state actors, including Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists in the Northeast.
He said that the terrorists and other criminal elements use UAVs for subversive and offensive activities in various parts of the country. Idris also lamented government agencies and private individuals in the application and use of drones without approvals from the Air Component of OPHK.
He warned that the disregard for the existing regulations on drone’ use exacerbates security threats in the region for over a decade. The Commodore continued: “The non-state actors have increasingly refined their usages of drones to target military assets and other critical infrastructures in the country.
