The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor, has called for an investigation into the air crash that claimed the lives of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru and 10 others on Friday.
He said that the Accident Investigation Board is expected to unravel the immediate and remote cause(s) of the unfortunate air accident.
The Acting Director, Defence Information, Brig.-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, disclosed this in a statement on Friday in Abuja.
Nwachukwu said that the unfortunate incident occurred after landing at the Kaduna International Airport due to inclement weather.
“The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) has therefore directed that an Accident Investigation Board be constituted to unravel the immediate and remote cause(s) of the unfortunate accident.
“As we pray for the repose of the souls of our gallant and committed Chief of Army Staff and other personnel on board with him, the AFN solicits the support and understanding of all Nigerians in the face of this tragic incident.
“We wish to state that the Armed Forces of Nigeria remains resolute in combating the security challenges bedeviling our nation.
“The sacrifices of our dearly departed heroes will not be in vain,” he said.
Irabor, however, urged all military personnel and their families to take heart.
He also reassured all Nigerians of the commitment and loyalty of the Armed Forces of Nigeria to the Constitution and Government in the discharge of its responsibilities.
Meanwhile, officials of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) on Friday paid a condolence visit to family of the pilot of the military jet that crashed in Kaduna.
The pilot, Flt.-Lt. Taiwo Asaniyi, and three other crew members, also died in the crash.
Air Commodore Peter Simeon, who is the Commander of the 671 NAF base detachment, Akobo, Ibadan, led other officers to the late pilot’s residence in Ibadan to console the aged parents.
Responding on behalf of the family, Deacon Adeleke, who thanked the NAF for the early visit, pleaded for immortalisation of all the deceased.
He advised that the government should always remember families of the deceased.
