President Muhammadu Buhari says he’s shocked by the latest crash of an aircraft of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF).
An Alpha Jet aircraft returning from a bombing mission between the boundaries of Zamfara and Kaduna States was shot down by terrorists on Sunday, July 18, 2021.
Flight Lieutenant Abayomi Dairo who flew the jet ejected before the crash and was successfully rescued from a settlement he sought refuge.
Buhari applauded his gallantry in a statement released on Tuesday, July 20.
“I was shocked by the devastating news of the air crash but felt much relieved, following the successful ejection by the pilot and his eventual rescue.
“May the injured pilot recover at the earliest time,” he said.
The president said he was pained by the crash, the fourth loss of a military plane since February.
Seven personnel were killed when a fighter jet crashed in Abuja on February 21, 2021 after reporting engine failure, and another one that went missing, with two personnel on board, on March 31 has been presumed to have crashed.
The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru, and 10 other military personnel also died in a crash in Kaduna in May.