The Nigerian military has announced a ban on the unauthorised use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), otherwise known as drones, in the North East region of the country.
The Air Component Commander, Air Commodore UU. Idris, issued the directives via a signal, sighted by Daily Trust.
Operation Hadin Kai, the Joint Task Force of the military in the North East, decried an upsurge in the unauthorised use of drones in the region.
Idris said the use of drones without consent poses threats in the region, particularly in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States respectively.
The statement, “The proliferation of drones for domestic and commercial purposes has led to serious security concerns.
“These concerns mainly stem from their possible use by non-state actors and criminal elements for subversive and offensive activities.
“More disturbing is that government agencies and private individuals operate these drones without due regard to the extant regulations on their operations.
”Also, the non-state actors have perfected the use of drones against military targets and Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) as witnessed in other climes.
“Recently, there have been reports of drone sightings and unauthorised drone operations in the Theatre.”
Idris further cited an instance when a passenger onboard an NGO flight from Maiduguri to Monguno was intercepted with a drone during a search at the helipad.
The event that occurred on January 7, 2025, led to the seizure of the drone, while the military commenced an investigation on the matter.
“These incidents among others revealed trends by individuals to operate drones without due course to safety and security with detrimental consequences,” Idris said.
The military added, “It is noteworthy to state that breaches of this restriction no matter how insignificant would be viewed very seriously.
“In view of the aforementioned, you are please requested to strictly comply with the regulation on the ban on drone operation in the North East Theatre comprising Borno, Yobe and Adamawa airspace in the interest of safety and security.”