MAY 21, 2021

The crash “is one mortal blow to our underbelly, at a time our armed forces are poised to end the security challenges facing the country.

President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed “shock and sorrow” over the death of Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru, along with several other officers on board a military aircraft which crashed Friday near Kaduna airport.

In a statement signed by his spokesman Femi Adesina, the President pledged to ensure that the departed would not die in vain.

“President Muhammadu Buhari is deeply saddened over the air crash that claimed the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, and other military officers,” the statement said.

President Buhari described the military officers as “heroes who paid the ultimate price for peace and security in the land.”

He also noted that the crash “is one mortal blow to our underbelly, at a time our armed forces are poised to end the security challenges facing the country.”

A military plane had crashed in Kaduna State on Friday with the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru, along with several other officers, on board.

The Nigerian Air Force confirmed the incident via a statement issued shortly after the crash, but did not reveal the identities of the affected military personnel.

But several media reports said Lieutenant General Attahiru, who was appointed Chief of Staff on January 26, and 10 others, including six military officers and four crew members, died in the crash.

Air Force spokesperson, Edward Gabkwet, said the incident occurred near the Kaduna International Airport.

“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,” he said. The incident was said to have occurred at about 6 pm while it was raining heavily.

The aircraft, with registration number, 5N-R203 was billed to land at the Nigerian Airforce Base in Mando area, before it diverted and attempted to land at the Kaduna airport.

The latest crash is one in a series of similar crashes involving military planes in recent time.

In  March, this year, an Air Force jet supporting ground troops fighting Boko Haram terrorists went missing in north-east state of Borno.

In February, seven officials died after a military plane crashed in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

General Attahiru was born on August 10, 1966 and joined the military in 1984.

He rose through the rank to become the 21st Chief of Army Staff of the Nigerian Army.