By Deborah Hassan
Barely a few weeks after the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) lost a fighter jet and personnel in a crash, another jet has been reported missing in Borno State.
According to the spokesperson for NAF, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, who spoke on Thursday, April 1, 2021, the alpha jet lost contact with the radar in Borno State on Wednesday.
He said the plane disappeared “while on interdiction mission in support of ground troops. The mission was part of the ongoing counterinsurgency operations in the North East.
“The loss of radar contact occurred at about 5:08 pm on 31 March 2021.”
“Details of the whereabout of the aircraft or likely cause of contact loss are still sketchy but will be relayed to the general public as soon as they become clear. Meanwhile, search and rescue efforts are ongoing.”
In February 2021, an Air Force aircraft, a Beechcraft KingAir B350i, lost an engine and crashed on its way to Minna, Niger State to conduct surveillance missions over Niger State and its environs as part of efforts to rescue kidnapped students and staff of Government Science College Kagara, Niger State.
It lost 9 personnel in the ill fated incident.