The crashed NAF aircraft

On Sunday February 21, the  Nigerian Air Force’s Beechcraft King Air B350i crashed while returning  to Abuja after reporting engine failure, killing all the seven passengers on board. The aircraft crashlanded at Bassa village just before the runway of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

The casualties—Fl. Lt. Haruna Gadzama; Flight Captain, Fl. Lt. Henry Piyo (co-pilot); Flying Officer Michael Okpara (Airborne Tactical Observation System Specialist); Warrant Officer Bassey Etim (ATOS Specialist); Fl. Sgt. Olasunkanmi Olawunmi (ATOS Specialist); Sgt. Ugochukwu Oluka (ATOS Specialist) and Aircraftman Adewale Johnson (Onboard Technician)—have since been buried at the National Cemetery, Lugbe, Abuja.

Quite naturally, the incident generated an outpouring of grief nationwide and the Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Isiaka Amao, has ordered an investigation into it. According to him, the deceased personnel had been in Minna, Niger State, for days conducting intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions in connection with the efforts to secure the release of the 42 students and staff abducted from the Government Science College Kagara, Niger State.

For quite a while now, the Nigerian air space has been relatively safe, without any incident that could disturb the peace of the aviation industry. But the recent mishap has dented the safety records. We commiserate with the families of the victims of the crash and the Nigerian Air Force on the loss of its gallant staff. The deceased are heroes who paid the supreme price in the line of duty, and their sacrifices must never be forgotten.

We expect that the Air Force will investigate the cause of crash professionally.

The investigation will no doubt boost the morale of the staff of the Nigerian Air Force who have been left traumatized by the unfortunate loss of the seven personnel aboard the crashed aircraft. Proper investigation will also help to identify the remote and immediate causes of the crash and show how to avert such accidents in the future, especially because the destroyed aircraft was part of the country’s strategic security architecture. We recognise that perfection in human affairs is an impossibility, but it is also desirable to raise the bar in the way the Nigerian Air Force is run, especially given that a similar situation in the United States recently did not result in the death of passengers despite the loss of the engine to fire. The aircraft was still brought to landing safely without any fatality. In order to reach the stage for such awesome performance here, the investigation must be thorough, honest and objective.

There is a desperate need to upgrade the equipment of the country’s security agencies. The country needs to prosecute its offensives with better arsenal. It will be impossible to win the war against terror and banditry without upgraded equipment for the security agencies. We are deeply saddened by the deaths of the Nigerian Air Force officers and expect the Nigerian government to cater for their families in accordance with the service rules. May their souls rest in sweet repose.

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