NAF Aircraft En route Niger State Crashes

A Nigerian Air Force (NAF) aircraft has crashed.

The NAF aircraft, it was gathered, took off from Kaduna on Monday en route to Minna, the Niger state capital when the incident occurred.

NAF spokesman, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet also confirmed the incident in a statement.

According to him, the aircraft departed Zungeru Primary School en route to Kaduna but was later discovered to have crashed in a village in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger.

The statement partly read, “A Nigerian Air Force MI-171 Helicopter on a casualty evacuation mission crashed today, August 14, 2023, at about 1.1.00 pm Chukuba Village in Niger State.

“The aircraft had departed Zungeru Primary School en route Kaduna but was later discovered to have crashed near Chukuba Village in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State.”

Gabkwet said efforts are ongoing to rescue the pilots and passengers on board.

“Efforts are currently ongoing to rescue the crew and passengers on board the helicopter, while preliminary investigations have commenced to determine the probable cause of the crash,” the statement added.

The incident comes a few weeks after a helicopter lost control and crashed in the Oba Akran Area of Lagos State.