Aviation Nigeria
The Nigerian Air Force has debunked claims that a fighter jet crashed today at the Nigerian Air Force Base, Port Harcourt.
Earlier reports stated that a military helicopter crashed in the process of an emergency landing at the Air Force Base in Rumuomasi, Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital.
However a press statement by Deputy Director of Air Force Public Relations, Group Captain Dele Alonge stated:
“The Nigerian Air Force MI-24B helicopter on a training exercise did not crash but made an emergency landing at the Nigerian Air Force Base, Port-Harcourt at about 10:00am”.
Captain Alonge added that upon receiving the news, Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Alex Badeh immediately constituted a team of experts to unravel the circumstances leading to the incident.
He promised to make further details of the crash available as soon as preliminary investigations where concluded, adding that no casualties had been recorded.
The chopper, a gunship apparently carried ammunition as the crash sent off sparks and explosions. Men of the fire service responded promptly and were already on the scene at the time of filing the report, battling to subdue the fire.
This is the second crash involving a Nigerian military helicopter in 5 months. It will be recalled that Nigeria’s former Security Adviser, Gen Patrick Owoye Azazi and Governor Patrick Yakowa of Kaduna State died when a military chopper conveying them from a function crashed last December.
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