ADAMAWA CRISIS: SUSPECTED FULANI HERDSMEN ATTEMPT TO BRING DOWN NIGERIAN FIGHTER JETS

Suspected armed Fulani herdsmen fired at the Alpha Jet and EC 135 Helicopter deployed in Adamawa State by the military in an attempt to bring it down.

The Alpha Jet and EC 135 Helicopter were deployed by the Nigerian Air Force in Numan and Demsa Local Government Areas of Adamawa State following the clashes and crises in the villages there.

The herdsmen, who were dressed in black, reportedly attempted to bring down the fighter aircraft, which were flown to fire “only warning shots” and not to kill any of the attackers.

The PUNCH quoted a top NAF source as saying: “A lot of damage had been done in Numan already by the gunmen before the fighter aircraft moved in. We actually caught the gunmen doing more damage and they needed to be stopped. So, we fired warning shots ahead of them. They were with a vast number of cows and they moved the cows under a shed as they set more buildings in the area on fire.

“At some point, the gunmen actually started firing at our aircraft. There was a bridge on that way to Jalingo, Taraba State, where they finally ran to. The Alpha Jet was not asked to bomb them. It did not actually carry bombs. We were on an internal security operation and a fundamental principle of such operation was the use of minimum force.”(PUNCH)