ASHENEWS reports that facts have emerged that the Nigeria Air Force (NAF) helicopter that crashed in Chukuba village of Shiroro local government area of Niger state, was nit a fighter jet but an evacuation helicopter, which was on a mission to convey injured troops to the Military Hospital in Kaduna.
Media reports late Tuesday, indicated that the helicopter was shot down by terrorists, and the bandits also released a video, which went viral on social media, also claiming that they shot down the helicopter.
However, credible military sources told PRNigeria that the ill-fated aircraft was actually on evacuation missions to airlift injured troops who got injured while engaging terrorists in some communities of Rafi, Wushishi, and Lavun local government areas of the state.
“The NAF helicopter that unfortunately crashed in Niger today was not a fighter aircraft, as speculated in some quarters. It is used for evacuation missions of the military personnel,” the sources said.
According to other credible sources, the terrorists had raided several villages in the aforementioned local government areas, killed some locals, and also rustled their cattle between Sunday and Monday.
It was gathered that the air component and ground troops had responded to distress calls put by members of the raided communities to engage the terrorists.
Though airstrikes and the intervention by ground troops halted the violent activities of the terrorists, some soldiers lost their lives, and others were injured, together with local vigilantes.
An intelligence source told PRNigeria that the bandits mostly on motorcycles were raiding some communities when the military responded.
“It was quite a hectic day in the counterterrorism campaigns as the bandits were raiding different villages simultaneously and rustling hundreds of cattle.
“We responded decisively against the bandits at the Jiwawa axis, while we also another group at a community in Wushisi LGA early in the morning.
“Surprisingly, while the operations were going on, we got more distress calls that the bandits had infiltrated other communities in Lavun and Rafi local governments.
“Troops and vigilantes that were mobilized exchanged gunfires on their routes including at Zungeru Kontagora road.
“The operations were very successful before the crash of the helicopter which was on a casualty evacuation mission after picking injured troops in Niger on its way to a military hospital in Kaduna.”
Meanwhile, the NAF spokesperson, Edward Gabkwet, an Air Commodore, also in a statement confirmed the crash of the NAF helicopter, on Monday.
“A Nigerian Air Force MI-171 Helicopter on a casualty evacuation mission crashed today, 14 August 2023 at about 1.00pm near Chukuba Village in Niger State.
“The aircraft had departed Zungeru Primary School en route Kaduna but was later discovered to have crashed near Chukuba Village in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State.
“Efforts are currently ongoing to rescue the crew and passengers on board the helicopter, while preliminary investigations have commenced determining the probable cause of the crash”.
By PRNigeria
