Kaduna plane crash must be investigated

The National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) has called for the probe of the Kaduna air crash that claimed the lives of Army Chief, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru and other officers.

Solomon Adodo, the President, also demanded the grounding of all military aircraft in the country to ascertain their airworthiness.

Adodo, in condolence letters to the Chief of Defence Staff and Chief of Air Staff, said the crashes were affecting the war on terror.

The NYCN leader noted that the spate of military plane crashes in the country was unsettling.

The organization questioned why the officers died while on an official assignment to attend the passing out parade at the Nigerian Army Depot in Zaria.

The statement said over 20 military officers have lost their lives in three crashes in the last three months. “This is totally unacceptable to the youth”, Adodo said.

On February 21, a Minna-bound military jet crashed, killing all 7 people on board. On April 2, another Alpha jet crashed in Borno.

“No military anywhere in the world should pretend that it is okay to record plane crashes on bi-monthly bases, and no country or people can accept that.

“We, therefore, demand the result of earlier investigations published and a military Committee of Enquiry empanelled to investigate the incessant crashes.

“The country’s first female combat pilot Tolulope Arotile, instrumental to the decimation of terrorist cells, suffered a similar fate in an Air Base that was presumably supposed to be a safe place,” Adodo said.

The NYCN warned that the morale of soldiers is being dampened by the happenings and urged the authorities to take pragmatic steps to forestall further occurrences.