NAF Intensifies Efforts to Protect Civilians, Embeds Civilian Harm Mitigation in Mission Planning
Oru Leonard
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) is taking steps to prioritize civilian harm mitigation (CHM) in its mission planning and execution. This initiative reflects the NAF’s commitment to delivering smarter and more humane airpower.
The NAF is embedding CHM principles into its operations to protect civilian lives and prevent harm.
The NAF is engaging with personnel in various locations to enhance operational precision, empathy, and civilian protection.
The NAF aims to balance precision strikes with restraint, situational awareness, and respect for human life.
In humanitarian outreach the NAF has conducted humanitarian outreach programs benefiting over 2,000 civilians in host communities.
The NAF plans to implement QIPs in selected communities to strengthen military-community relations.
By prioritizing CHM and civil-military relations, the NAF demonstrates its commitment to responsible and effective military operations.
Speaking during the engagements, the Chief of Civil Military Relations (CCMR), Air Vice Marshal Ibikunle Daramola, who was represented by Air Commodore Elisha Bindul, posited that the recently reviewed NAF Civil-Military Relations Policy positions Civilian Harm Mitigation and Gender Mainstreaming as vital pillars of air operations. This approach, he noted, reflects a deliberate shift toward “smarter airpower”, one that balances precision strikes with restraint, situational awareness, and respect for human life.
He reminded participants that NAF’s role transcends defending the nation’s airspace; it also includes building trust, promoting peace, and fostering cooperation within host communities. Personnel were, therefore, urged to uphold professionalism and compassion in their engagements with civilians, as these values remain critical to mission success and long-term stability in conflict zones.
The interactive sessions provided a platform for personnel to share field experiences, discuss challenges, and exchange best practices. Deliberations centred on community engagement, inter-agency coordination, conflict resolution, and adherence to Rules of Engagement (ROE). Participants were further reminded of the NAF’s zero-tolerance stance on sexual exploitation and abuse, emphasising that lawful conduct and respect for human dignity are indispensable to operational credibility.
Highlighting the Service’s commitment to Civil-Military Cooperation, the NAF recalled previous humanitarian outreach programmes that benefited more than 2,000 civilians in host communities, initiatives that have attracted commendation from international partners for enhancing operational awareness and strengthening military-community relations.
Also, the representative of the CCMR disclosed that efforts are in top gear to implement Quick Impact Projects (QIPs) in selected communities across the country under broader Civil-Military Cooperation initiatives. He directed Unit CMR Desk Officers to sustain awareness campaigns and continuous training on Civilian Harm Mitigation and other humanitarian considerations. In his remarks during the engagement in Maiduguri, the Air Component Commander, Operation Hadin Kai, Air Commodore Umar Idris, reiterated that effective community relations remain a strategic advantage in counter-insurgency operations, stressing that coordinated, lawful, and humane conduct is vital to sustaining tactical and moral superiority in the field.
Through initiatives such as these, the Nigerian Air Force continues to demonstrate that precision airpower is not only about targeting accuracy but about moral clarity, ensuring that every strike advance peace, protects civilians, and strengthens national and regional stability.
(NAF Media, 8 October 2025)
