By Fatima Zahra Muhammad
ASHENEWS reports that the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has said that the viral video in which bandits claimed they shot down its evacuation helicopter at Chukuba village as fake.
NAF also said that incidences of fatalities, mishaps, and crashes were inevitable in counterinsurgency and counterterrorism operations.
This online platform earlier reported that some terrorists allegedly loyal to bandits kingpin, Abubakar Abdallah popularly known as Dogo Gide have claimed responsibility for the incident.
But the Director of Public Relations and Information at NAF, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, in a statement on Wednesday, described the video as propaganda by the terrorists.
“The attention of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has been drawn to a video circulating on social media platforms allegedly depicting the wreckage of the crashed MI-171 helicopter with bodies of victims at Chukuba Village in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State.
“While it is not in the character of the NAF to respond to such claims, particularly one peddled by terrorists, concerns expressed by well-meaning Nigerians on the need to address the propaganda becomes imperative.
“Like all military organizations involved in counterinsurgency and counterterrorism operations, incidences of fatalities, mishaps, and crashes are sometimes inevitable.
“For the NAF, the last 8 years has seen an increased level of air operations in efforts at checkmating the nefarious activities of terrorists and criminal elements in the country.
“With heightened levels of air operations, occasioned by an enhanced fleet, the likelihood of air mishaps and accidents at times become unavoidable and inevitable due to various reasons,” the statement said.
Gabkwet maintained that the NAF would still investigate the cause of the incident.
“While the NAF regrets such unfortunate incidents, especially as they involve the loss of lives of our colleagues, the Service will never shy away from unraveling the probable cause of the crash with a view to drawing lessons.”
Gabkwet urged Nigerians to desist from sharing the gory images from the scene of the incident, as according to him, this account to aiding and abetting the propaganda tendencies of terrorists, deliberately or inadvertently.
