A rivalry between the Nigerian Army and the Air Force under former President Muhammadu Buhari led to troops being denied air cover during operations. This is according to a presidential aide, Daniel Bwala.
Bwala made the claim on The Link Up Podcast, a panel discussion hosted by EchoRoom and published on Friday.
He said a disagreement between the Chief of Air Staff and Army leadership during the Buhari era meant that requests for air support were sometimes ignored, a situation he said had since been resolved.
“I remember during Buhari there was this disagreement that was imported to be between the Chief of Air Staff and that of the Army, so that whenever an operation was undertaken, when they asked for air cover, there wouldn’t be support. In this administration, it is not so. There is coordination or cooperation,” he said.
He made the comments while responding to a question on whether the military had been infiltrated by elements sympathetic to terrorist groups. Bwala dismissed suggestions that soldiers guard terrorists during attacks.
