On Friday night, Nigeria lost its Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Ibrahim Attahiru, in an air crash close to the Kaduna Airport.
Attahiru and seven others were aboard a NAF Beachcraft 350 aircraft when it crashed and exploded into a ball of fire.
“An air crash involving a Nigerian Air Force 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 NAF spokesman said in a statement.
It is the third time in 2021 alone, that a Nigerian Air Force jet has come down.
At least 17 military officers have lost their lives in those incidents.
On Sunday, February 21, 2021, seven NAF officers died aboard a Beechcraft KingAir B350i aircraft when the jet crashed in Abuja.
The plane crashed close to the runway of the Abuja International Airport after reporting engine failure.
Also, on Wednesday, March 31, 2021, an Alpha-Jet aircraft involved in the anti-terror war against Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) lost radar contact in Borno State.
Two officers were onboard the aircraft and their whereabouts remain unknown till date.
It has led to questions being asked about military aviation in the country, as civil aviation has recorded no crash involving commercial flights in about a decade.
