By Akinwale Kasali
Contrary to claims by Terrorist Group, Boko Haram, that it gunned down the Nigeria Airforce’s NAF’s Alpha Jet, which disappeared from radar on Wednesday, March 31 in a viral video, the NAF says the claim is false.
NAF’s Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, said the viral video could be clips from a previous incident, but certainly not for the missing Alpha Jet as claimed by the insurgent Group.
Gabkwet insisted that the video was fraught with inconsistencies that established it was fake, adding that the lush vegetation in one of the videos suggest it was not in the Northeast.
“We have seen some videos, but there is nothing that has proven that the aircraft in those clips belongs to us, or have you seen a Nigerian Air Force aircraft number or the body of Air Force pilot, or have you seen any Air Force uniform? Until we get all these details strengthened out, we are not going to go into speculation.
“That video could have been shot somewhere. I have seen four videos so far, one of them has lush vegetation in the background, and I wonder where they have such vegetation in the Northeast. Unless they did something and they are releasing the clips bit by bit, we are waiting.
“Except we have evidence, because like I said, these persons have families and you cannot go their wives, parents or wards, you must bring concrete evidence. There must be something to show”.
The Jet disappeared while on a mission to the North East. The names of the crew members were given as Flight Lt. John Abolarinwa and Flight Lt. Ebiakpo Chapele, Pilot and Co-Pilot respectively.
NAF confirms the jet has crashed, and its wreckage found at ABBA-Jille in Konduga LGA. But there is no word yet on the whereabouts of the two pilots – whether they were able to parachute to safety, captured by insurgents, or perished in the presumed crash.No bodies have been found.
This will be the second NAF aircraft lost within weeks. The first crashed close to the tarmac at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on its way to Minna to locate bandits who had abducted students in Niger State. The crew members, seven in all, perished in the crash.
