A NIGERIAN Air Force (NAF) FT-7NI trainer aircraft has crashed in Makurdi, Benue State capital, while on routine training exercise.
Details about the incident are still sketchy as of the time of filing this report.
NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Edward Gabkwet, confirmed the incident in a statement on Friday, July 14.
According to Gabkwet, two pilots onboard the aircraft survived and were being observed in a military facility.
He said: “Luckily, the two pilots on board survived the crash after successfully ejecting from the aircraft. Additionally, there was no loss of lives or damage to any property around the area of impact.
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“Both pilots are currently under observation at NAF Base Hospital, Makurdi. Meanwhile, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Hasan Abubakar, has constituted a Board of Inquiry to determine the immediate and remote causes of the crash.”
On May 30, The ICIR reported that NIgeria under former President Muhammadu Buhari experienced series of military air crashes.
Data garnered from media reports in the last seven years shows that the incidents resulted in the loss of 14 aircraft and claimed the lives of 35 people, including civilians and military personnel.
The report noted that the crashes also imposed significant financial costs on the military and diminished the number of operational aircraft in its fleet.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: umustapha@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M