Tragedy struck on Friday when the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Ibrahim Attahiru, died in a plane crash on his way to Kaduna for an official function.
Credible sources said the incident happened about 6pm when a military Beachcraft 350 carrying him went down at the Kaduna International Airport.
Ten other people, including his principal officers, personal aides and the crew, also died in the crash. They are Brigadier-General MI Abdulkadir; Brigadier- General Olayinka; Brigadier-General Kuliya; Major LA Hayat; Major Hamza; Sergeant Umar; Flt. Lt. TO Asaniyi; Flt. Lt. AA Olufade; Sergeant Adesina and ACM Oyedepo.
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It was not immediately clear what caused the crash, but an airport staff said that bad weather, occasioned by heavy rain, which happened in Kaduna, could have contributed to the sad tragedy.
A military source who expressed shock about the incident also said the deceased army chief observed the Juma’at prayer before he hastily embarked on his journey.
“We prayed alongside him in the afternoon. We greeted him; he answered but moved on hastily,’’ he said.
Findings indicated that the military plane couldn’t land at the Air Force Base in Kaduna, which is supposed to be their designated aerodrome.
However, it was not clear why the crew chose to use the Kaduna Airport runway.
The Air Force operates independently of the civil aviation authorities. It also has its separate radar, distinct from the one operated by the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA).
This is why investigation reports into military plane crashes is never made public.
Confirming the incident in a statement last night, the Director of Information of the Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, said, “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,” the spokesman noted.
Attahiru was among the service chiefs appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari in January 2021.
A statement last night by the acting Director, Defence Information, Brigadier- General Onyema Nwachukwu reads, “It is with a heavy heart that the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) regrets to announce that this evening, about 1800 hours, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, in company of his entourage, who were on official trip from Abuja to Kaduna, were involved in air mishap.
Meanwhile President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed shock and sadness over the air crash that claimed the top army general and others.
A statement issued on Friday by his spokesman, Femi Adesina, 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.”
The president, who commiserated with families of the deceased, the military and Nigerians in general, described them as “heroes who paid the ultimate price for peace and security in the land.”
Buhari, who prayed that God would receive the souls of the patriots, promised that they would not die in vain.
