Nigeria deploys jets to end herdsmen-farmers feud

By Rafiu Ajakaye

LAGOS, Nigeria

Nigeria on Thursday deployed fighter jets to its central Plateau state to end the internecine battle between herdsmen and local farmers, according to a military spokesman.

In a statement, Air Force spokesman Olatokunbo Adesanya said the deployment followed a presidential directive for security agencies to stamp out the violence in Plateau where 29 people were killed on Monday.

“The deployment is also to ensure the prevention of reprisal attacks, which could escalate the conflict,” Adesanya said.

“The deployed NAF [Nigerian Air Force] assets include the L-39ZA aircraft and the EC-135 helicopter, which are to provide necessary air cover to the surface forces participating in the operation in the State.

“The L-39ZA aircraft operates from its base in Kano while the EC-135 helicopter operates from Jos.”

He said air force assets had also been deployed in other parts of the north to stop incessant communal clashes in Kafanchan, northwestern Kaduna, and Takum, in northeastern Taraba, apart from deployments to the heart of the northeast where Boko Haram violence has raged for years.

In a statement following Monday’s killings, President Muhammadu Buhari had called for all sides to sheath their swords and directed security agencies to end the fighting.