A military aircraft of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) with Ibrahim Attahiru, chief of army staff, onboard, has crashed around the Kaduna international airport.
Edward Gabkwet, NAF spokesman, confirmed the incident on Friday but did not name the casualties. According to him, the “immediate cause of the crash is still being ascertained”.
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.
Edward Gabkwet
Air Commodore
Director of Public Relations and Information
21/5/21 pic.twitter.com/N01V2M6qUc— Nigerian Air Force (@NigAirForce) May 21, 2021
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A source at the airport told SurgeZirc NG that eight persons were involved in the accident, but the identity of the victims hadn’t been confirmed at the time of the report.
The crash was also said to have occurred around 6 pm. Meanwhile, military sources said the army chief was on board with a few of his aides. “They were almost landing when the aircraft lost its balance and crashed inside the bush,” a source said.
The plane conveying the army chief and other top military personnel was said to have crashed on due to bad weather.