Sani, who is a former Kaduna Central Senator said bandits in the North can not take over the Tucano jets because they are not Talibans.
In a tweet, the former lawmaker explained that bandits use motorcycles to achieve their targets.
He, however, admitted that these bandits have shown some anti-aircraft capabilities.
According to Sani: “The terrorists and bandits in our Northern part of Nigeria don’t have the capacity to seize the newly purchased Tucano fighters, despite their show of anti aircraft capabilities.
“They operate and achieve their goals riding on motorcycles with AK47. They are not Talibans for now.”
Bandits have been on the prowl in the Northern part of Nigeria.
They have attacked schools, religious centres and most recently, the Nigerian Defence Academy, NDA, in Kaduna.
Amid the insecurity challenges, Nigeria recently took delivery of some Tucano fighter jets from the United States.
In 2018, Nigeria paid around $462 million for twelve Tucanos and other additions. Six of the aircraft were built with Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) system.
The powerful turboprops have Paveway II guided bombs, laser-guided rockets, 12.7 mm ammunition, unguided bombs and infrared sensors.
(DailyPost)
