The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has applauded the Benue State Government for agreeing to establish a tripartite committee to halt the ongoing encroachment into the land hosting the NAF Base, Makurdi.
NAF also noted that previous efforts to resolve these disputes failed to achieve the desired results.
The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, gave this commendation when he visited the governor of Benue State, Hyacinth Alia, at the Government House, Makurdi.
Director of Public Relations and Information, Nigerian Air Force, Air Vice Marshal Edward Gabkwet, in a statement on Tuesday, said the CAS was in the Government House to discuss issues relating to encroachment on NAF land by neighbouring communities around the base in the Benue State capital.
The CAS, he said, cautioned institutions and communities located around NAF bases nationwide to desist from the illegal and wanton encroachment on NAF lands in view of the consequences on national security.
The NAF spokesman also disclosed that the tripartite committee, which comprised representatives from the Benue State Government, NAF, and the affected communities, has been tasked with finding a resolution that satisfies all the parties involved.
While reiterating the commitment of the NAF to adding value in ongoing efforts to end communal clashes, banditry, kidnapping and other forms of criminality in Benue State, Air Marshal Abubakar also applauded Governor Alia for his support to the NAF in Benue State, as well as his monumental strides and zeal towards solving issues of insecurity in the state.
The CAS also revealed that though the NAF had contained the encroachment along the western boundary of the base by fencing off encroached portions, the problem persists along the eastern boundary.
He also noted that the potential loss of 1,537.8 hectares, out of the 4,486 hectares of NAF land, translating to a loss of 34 per cent of the land originally allocated in 1977, would adversely distort the strategic intent of siting the NAF Command in Makurdi.
“Ceding such a significant portion of NAF land would limit the required space for medium and long-term infrastructural development necessary for future operational readiness and capability development,” he further said.
These, the CAS said, are in addition to the immediate security and safety concerns that are apparent with such boundary reduction procedures.
His words: “It is important to note that the 4,486 hectares of land currently serving as the home Base of Tactical Air Command in Makurdi was allocated to the NAF in 1977, as depicted by the Signature Plan signed by the then governor of Benue State, Col. Abdullahi Shelleng.
‘’The siting of NAF Base at the location was to meet set operational and strategic National Security objectives. However, the land has significantly suffered from encroachment over the years, resulting in protracted land disputes between the NAF and neighbouring communities”.
