From Molly Kilete,Abuja and Noah Ebije, Kaduna
Military authorities, last night, denied viral media reports that an Alfa Jet belonging to the Nigeria Airforce (NAF) had crashed in Kaduna.
NAF spokesman, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, debunked the report on the NAF Defence corresponds WhatsApp platform.
“No crash in Kaduna. No aircraft left Yola for Kaduna…..
“I am making contact and awaiting information from other locations. Thanks.”
Regardless, a competent source told Daily Sun that an Alpha Jet, which reportedly left Yola, Adamawa capital, for anti-banditry operations, crashed in one of the villages in the state.
A search crew dispatched by the NAF authorities hours after the crash was said to have recovered the parachute of the pilot indicating that the man, said to be a Flying Officer, successfully ejected from the aircraft. It was also reliably gathered that the search team have discovered the scene of the crash.
There is now a palpable tension as to the whereabouts of the pilot over fears that he may have ran into the den of bandits after pulling off the parachute.
A top NAF source said the news has further devastated the NAF, especially the Yola base.
“Yes, truly there was an air crash involving one of our Alpha Jets somewhere in Kaduna State. What happened was that the pilot successfully ejected but up till now, we have not been able to locate him. The rescue team is still searching. The rescue team discovered his parachute but the pilot is nowhere to be found. We had just the pilot, a Flight Lieutenant, on board the aircraft. We cannot find the aircraft because it is difficult to recover any aircraft that the pilot ejected from successfully. That aircraft must vanish because it will fall under gravity and get seriously damaged as a result of the fuel and everything that is in it. We are only praying that he has not fallen into the hands of the same bandits he went to bomb. There are fears that he may have run into their camps while looking for a way of escape after ejecting. We can only pray that he is safe wherever he is and we find him safely.”
Another reliable source and expert in Airforce aeronautical engineering said the Alpha Jet may have crashed at Zamfara-Kaduna border, probably, having left Katsina State where the crew have been bombarding bandits in past weeks.
The source said there are two Alpha Jets stationed in Yola to serve Borno State, adding that the two Jets were intact at the time of alleged crash. The source also said Alpha Jets are traditionally stationed in Kainji, Niger State, for effective maintenance and routine checks from where they are assigned for special duties.
“So, the only Jet that may have crashed is the one that was taken to Katsina and Zamfara to fight bandits, if only it had taken off to Kaduna on the fateful day.”
When contacted, Director, Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, promised to get back but never did at press time.
There had been series of crashes involving military planes. On Friday, May 21, a Beechcraft King Air 350i, NAF 203 crashed near Kaduna International Airport. Eleven military officers, including the Chief of Army Staff, Lt
NAF Alpha Jet 475 on a reconnaissance mission was declared missing. Its wreckage was later found in Bama, Borno State. The body of one of the pilots (Flt. Lt. Chapele Ebiakpo) was found intact. The other pilot (Flt. Lt. John Abolarinwa) could not be found. Two months later, there has been no word from the Air Force authorities.
On September 12, 1997, a Dornier 228-212 belonging to the NAF also crashed with 10 persons on board. Nobody survived. Nine years later, precisely on September 17, 2006, a Dornier 228 military plane crashed at Vandekiya, Benue State, killing 14 military officers, including 10 Generals. In August 2015, another Dornier 228-212, NAF 030 crashed in Kaduna, and all seven persons on board died. On September 28, 2018, a Nigerian Air Force pilot died after two aircraft crashed around Katampe Hill, Abuja, while rehearsing for the nation’s 58th Independence Day celebrations.
In each of these incidents, valuable men were lost; families were thrown into sorrow. In at least two incidents, it was widely speculated that the officers who lost their lives were victims of sinister power play within the military. Each time such an accident occurs, the public is told that investigations would be conducted and that the Accident Investigation Bureau had taken charge of the famous “Black Box”. But nobody ever shares the “secrets” in that Black Box with the public, whether the air mishap was civilian or military.