Nigeria’s army chief Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru has died in a plane crash on Friday, this is according news reports by several Nigerian media outlets.
Although the Nigerian Army is yet to make a comment at the time of this report, the Air Force said in a statement that its plane crashed near Kaduna airport on Friday and it is investigating the immediate cause of the crash.
An air crash involving a @NigAirForce aircraft occurred this evening near the Kaduna International Airport. The immediate cause of the crash is still being ascertained. More details to follow soon.
Edward Gabkwet
Air Commodore
Director of Public Relations and Information
21/5/21 pic.twitter.com/N01V2M6qUc— Nigerian Air Force (@NigAirForce) May 21, 2021
Channels TV reported that the aircraft crashed at a runway of the Kaduna international airport with 12 people on board, including top military officers and crew members. The incident was said to have occurred at about 6 pm while it was raining heavily.
The officers apparently were on their way to Kaduna State ahead of tomorrow’s passing out parade of soldiers from the Nigerian Army Depot in Zaria.
This will be second air force plane that has crashed in three months; in February, seven officials died after a military plane crashed in Abuja.
In March, an air force jet supporting ground troops fighting Boko Haram terrorists went missing in north-east Borno.
Nnamdi Maduakor is a Writer, Investor and Entrepreneur