The Nigeria Police Airwing was established in 1972 as the operational air arm of the Nigeria Police Force. The Section started with one (1) Helicopter (a three seater Bell 47G-5A) and a Piston Multi-Engine Cessna 310 Airplane.
The Police Airwing had through successive administrations grown steadily and consistently, with improved skilled manpower and now boasts of one (1) Cessna Citation Jet and thirteen (13) Helicopters comprising six (6) Bell 412EP, three (3) Bell 427, three (3) Bell 306 and one (1) Bell 429. The Section also has three (3) functional Aircraft Hangars located at Abuja, Lagos and Enugu, and two (2) more Hangars undergoing construction at Nasarawa State and Gombe State.
Over the years, the Police Airwing has carried out its core operational mandates rigorously; they include:- Aerial patrols/Surveillance over the cities and other suspected criminal hideouts, conveyance of sensitive electoral materials and suspects under custody both for Police and other sister Security Agencies, Search and Rescue operations, VIP movements including those of Presidency, Medical Evacuations, Support to the Military operations (especially in the troubled regions) for quick evacuation of troops and logistics to locations where needed as well as timely evacuation of casualties, movement of electoral materials to places that are inaccessible by road, Police general operations; which include raiding of criminal hideouts, rescue of kidnapped victims, anti-bandits operations and any other duty assigned to the Section.
The Section has contributed tremendously in combating crimes and criminality in our society through robust aerial patrols and providing adequate support to the ground troops, in order to guarantee maximum protection of lives and property by checkmating the heinous activities of persons who perpetrate crimes and criminality, either for self interest or for the sake of other unscrupulous elements in the society.
Currently, IGP Usman Alkali Baba psc (+), NPM, fdc, in his drive to bequeath a sane and safe society to the entire citizenry, has emplaced numerous strategies and policies aimed at enhancing the operational capability of the Nigeria Police Airwing and has empowered the Commissioner of Police, Airwing, CP Danladi B. Lalas, to effectively discharge the mandate of the Police Airwing.
ASP Muhammad A. Sadiq, anipr
PR Liason Officer,
For:- Commissioner of Police,
Dept. of Operations (Airwing)
Force Headquarters, Abuja.
