Boko Haram terror group has released a video showing its fighters shooting down an aircraft believed to be the Alpha Jet declared missing by Nigerian Air Force.
In a seven-minute thirty seconds video, the jet was seen flying low to the ground while the insurgents shot at it.
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The jet went missing on Wednesday evening while carrying out a mission against the terrorists in Borno State.
Reporting the incident on Thursday, spokesperson of the Nigerian Air Force, Edward Gabkwet said the alpha jet lost contact with the radar in Borno State during the flight.
He revealed that 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.”
Giving an update on Friday, Gabkwet, said the jet may have crashed, saying;
Intelligence report gathered by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) indicates that the Alpha Jet aircraft (NAF475) that went off the radar with 2 crew members on board on 31 March 2021 might have crashed.
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Mr Gabkwet, an air commodore, also named the two pilots missing from the incident, adding;
The cause of the crash as well as the whereabouts of the 2 pilots remain unknown. The pilots are Flight Lieutenant John Abolarinwa and Flight Lieutenant Ebiakpo Chapele.
According to Humangle, an online newspaper, the terrorists were seen in the video shooting down the aircraft while it came down in flames.
The insurgents were also seen moving towards the debris of the aircraft to remove components of the aircraft and personal effects of the pilots.
Another terrorist was also seen standing on the aircraft while speaking in Hausa and English.
The latest aircraft incident comes weeks after another Air Force aircraft, a Beechcraft KingAir B350i, crashed after reporting engine failure on its way to Minna, Niger State.
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Nigerian Air Force is involved in the anti-insurgency operation in the North-east as well as in the onslaught against bandits in the North-west and North-central geopolitical zones, providing reconnaissance intelligence and aerial covers for ground troops.
NAF also engages in the bombardment of terrorists’ enclaves from time to time.
