As part of President Muhammadu Buhari's concerted efforts to eradicate terrorism before 2023, the federal government will deploy 12 Super Tucano jets against bandits.
While the federal government has begun to finalise the conditions for the issue of a gazette that will legally identify bandits as terrorists, the United States (US) has not handed Nigeria a blank check on the employment of fighter jets, according to The Nation.
It was also discovered that US personnel have been visiting Nigeria to assess the use of the aircraft in accordance with the terms of sale, following a monthly timetable set out by the North American country to monitor the jets' deployment, battlegrounds, and purpose of deployment.
According to the journal, the Attorney-General of the Federation's Office and the Minister of Justice stated that the procedures were almost completed last night.
The classification of bandits as terrorists by a court gave an impetus to the war against insurgency, according to a source who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
According to the source:
"You are aware that the Federal Government went to court on its own and obtained a ruling classifying bandits to be terrorists. This has gotten everyone's attention.
"The aircraft's American suppliers wanted assurance that Nigeria would adhere to the terms of the sale, which stipulated that they would only be used against terrorists."
"Now that the courts have indicated so, you should expect the aircraft to be deployed as soon as all formalities are completed, including the gazetting of the verdict."
"However, new platforms are being received and deployed even before this is completed, and you can see the destructive consequences of the nation's airpower on terrorists and outlaws in the Northeast and Northwest."
"The Nigerian Air Force's bombing of the famed bandit Turji's camp in Zamfara State last week is a case in point. Things are evolving at a breakneck pace."
When approached about the classification of bandits as terrorists by a Nigerian court, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, said:
"The court's judgement has energised us at the White House.
The procedures for the bandit gazette, according to the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, are practically complete. Dr. Umaru Gwandu, the AGF's Special Adviser on Media, stated:
"As a prerequisite, the Federal Government has published the proscription order in two national dailies."
"In addition, the Federal Government has ordered that the order be published in the Gazette. I am hopeful that the Nigerian public will see the order published in the gazette soon. If it isn't out now, I believe it will be any day soon."
Apart from limiting the jets to solely fighting terrorists in the north, it was also learned that the US team has been assessing their operations on a regular basis.
According to a source, the US has been "extremely stringent" in analysing the deployment of the jets to prevent military abuse.
According to the source:
"Every month, a team from the United States would arrive to inspect the planes' deployment." They've requested us to make sure the number of hours of operations are recorded in the box, as well as where the jets have gone for operations and for what purposes.
"They sold us the planes, but they didn't offer us a blank check for how to use them." We have adhered to the conditions of the agreement, and we are winning the battle. This is why, prior to his departure in 2023, the President commanded the Armed Forces to bring the war to a close."