Air Chief Arrives Maiduguri to Supervise Search and Rescue NAF Jet Operation

The Chief of Air Staff on Thursday 1st of April, 2021 arrived Maiduguri, following the disappearance of the Alpha Jet Aircraft belonging to Nigeria Air Force, which  had  on Wednesday night disappeared from radar during an operational mission to the State. The Jet was on an interdiction mission in support of ground troops in Maiduguri.

The mission was part of ongoing counter-insurgency operations in the North East.

“The loss of radar contact occurred at about 5:08 pm on 31 March 2021,” according to Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, the Air Force’s Director of Public Relations and Information.

“Details of the whereabouts 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.”

Gabkwet futher added that the Chief of Air Staff was briefed on the ongoing search and rescue effort with regard to the missing aircraft on his arrival.

It was gathered that all search and rescue tools had been activated in the North-East theatre of operations in order to ascertain the whereabouts of the fighter plane.