Skip to main content

ACCIDENT INVOLVING NIGERIAN AIR FORCE AIRCRAFT - Update

UPDATE ON AIR ACCIDENT INVOLVING NIGERIAN AIR FORCE AIRCRAFT

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF), earlier today, 21 February 2021, confirmed that one of its aircraft, a Beechcraft KingAir B350i (NAF 201), crashed while returning to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja after reporting engine failure enroute Minna, where it was scheduled to conduct surveillance missions over Niger State and its environs in connection with the concerted efforts to secure the release of the students/staff abducted from the Government Science College Kagara, Niger State.

As earlier stated, the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Vice Marshal Oladayo Amao, has instituted an investigative panel to determine the remote and immediate causes of the accident. While the panel has commenced its work, the NAF, having notified the Next of Kins/family members of the deceased, regretfully announces that the following 7 personnel lost their lives in the crash:
a. Flight Lieutenant Haruna Gadzama (Captain).
b. Flight Lieutenant Henry Piyo (Co-Pilot).
c. Flying Officer Micheal Okpara (Airborne Tactical Observation System (ATOS) Specialist).
d. Warrant Officer Bassey Etim (ATOS Specialist).
e. Flight Sergeant Olasunkanmi Olawunmi (ATOS Specialist).
f. Sergeant Ugochukwu Oluka (ATOS Specialist).
g. Aircraftman Adewale Johnson (Onboard Technician).

Earlier, the CAS visited the scene of the accident, in company of the Honourable Minister of Defence, Major General Bashir Magashi (retired); Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika; Chief of Defence Staff, Major General Lucky Irabor, and other Service Chiefs. The CAS, on behalf of officers, airmen and airwomen of the NAF, once more commiserates with the families of the deceased personnel and prays that the Almighty God grants their souls eternal repose.

IBIKUNLE DARAMOLA
Air Vice Marshal
Director of Public Relations and Information
Nigerian Air Force
21 February 2021

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

They Killed My Husband, Not My Mind”: Widows Reclaim Hope Through Scarlet Cord Initiative In Southern Kaduna, trauma-healed widows are turning grief into business ideas and resilience into economic power.

​Widows Reclaim Hope Through Scarlet Cord Initiative In Southern Kaduna, trauma-healed widows are turning grief into business ideas and resilience into economic power. By Justin Jattim  A non-profit organization dedicated to the empowerment, education, and economic upliftment of vulnerable women and youth impacted by banditry, kidnapping, and insurgency in Nigeria, the Scarlet Cord Initiative, has extended its work to Gumel in Kachia, southern Kaduna. There, it held a two-day holistic empowerment programme for about 100 traumatized women. The programme included skills training, mentorship, trauma psycho-support, and advocacy. The event, which took place in a vibrant hall in Gora, began with a simple ball of yarn passed from hand to hand, weaving a visible web of connection among the 100 selected widows. These women shared the experience of losing their husbands to violent attacks. This was not a craft lesson, but the opening act of a profound tra...

CAN Leaders Urge Action: 'Genocide' Claims Rock Jos Gathering

​ CAN Leaders Urge Action: 'Genocide' Claims Rock Jos Gathering Plateau Hosts Tense CAN Meeting Amidst Rising Insecurity Church Leaders Sound Alarm: 'Stop the Killings, Stop the Silence' Mutfwang Pledges Support as CAN Demands End to 'Christian Genocide' Jos Declaration: CAN Leaders Call for End to Violence, Injustice.  By, Justin Jattim. The Executive Governor of Plateau State, Barr. Caleb Mutfwang, has reiterated his commitment to finding a lasting solution to end the killings and displacement of citizens in Plateau State. Governor Mutfwang made this statement at the Fourth Quarter National Executive Council Meeting of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Jos on Tuesday 18th November, 2025. The meeting provided a platform for Christian leaders, stakeholders, traditional rulers, and government officials to discuss key national issues affecting the Christian community in Nigeria. Represented by his deputy, Ngo Josephine Piyo, Governor Mutfwa...

Unity in the Heart of Nigeria: CAN Delegates Visit Plateau State, Pray for Peace and Unity

​ CAN Delegates Flock to Jos, Pray for Peace and Unity. By Justin Jattim. A delegation of high-ranking officials from the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has arrived in Jos, Plateau State, ahead of their National Executive Council meeting, which kicks off tomorrow. The delegation was received at the Yakubu Gowon Airport, Jos, by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Policy and Governance Pastor. Yiljap Abraham Senior Special Adviser to the Governor, representing the Secretary to the State Government, Arc. Samuel Jatau, on behalf of Governor Caleb Mutfwang. Speaking on arrival, Rev. Dr. Stephen Baba Panya, Vice President of CAN, expressed gratitude for the warm reception, saying, "It is a pleasure and privilege for us to be here. We have come for our National Executive CAN meeting starting tomorrow. Our President, His Eminence Archbishop Daniel O'Call, arrived ahead of us and will chair the meeting." The CAN President, Archbishop...