Past military feud starved soldiers of air support during operations, Bwala

A significant military feud between Nigeria's Army and Air Force during the previous administration starved troops of essential air support during operations, according to presidential aide Daniel Bwala. He asserted that a disagreement between the Chief of Air Staff and Army leadership under former President Muhammadu Buhari led to requests for air cover being ignored.

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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.

Bwala made these claims on The Link Up Podcast, stating that this lack of coordination has since been resolved. "In this administration, it is not so. There is coordination or cooperation," he said, contrasting it with the Buhari era where "whenever an operation was undertaken, when they asked for air cover, there wouldn’t be support."

Responding to questions about military infiltration by elements sympathetic to terrorist groups, Bwala dismissed widespread suggestions of soldiers guarding terrorists. However, he conceded that isolated cases of infiltration cannot be ruled out, citing past arrests of police and soldiers involved in illicit activities. "You cannot rule out the facts that they may have one or two agents in the army, anywhere else," he noted, adding that measures are in place to address such issues without public disclosure.

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You cannot rule out the facts that they may have one or two agents in the army, anywhere else, that providing… Our police have always been arrested, and soldiers arrested involved in this kind of thing.

Bwala also linked broader security concerns to foreign interference, alleging an international dimension to Nigeria's insurgency. He referenced an unverified claim by a U.S. Congressman, Scott Perry, suggesting the CIA had funded Boko Haram and ISIS. "Scott Perry was interrogating the CIA director and he was telling him that their congressional finding suggests that the CIA was funding Boko Haram, ISIS," Bwala said, emphasizing he was relaying information he had encountered.

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Scott Perry was interrogating the CIA director and he was telling him that their congressional finding suggests that the CIA was funding Boko Haram, ISIS.