Tag: NAF

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) says intelligent report gathered by its surveillance aircraft, Special Forces, and ground troops indicates that its missing aircraft might have crashed.

A statement by the Director of Public Relations and Information, NAF Headquarters, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, stated that the cause of the crash and the whereabouts of the two pilots remained unknown.

According to Gabkwet, the pilots are Flt.-Lt. John Abolarinwa and Flt.- Lt. Ebiakpo Chapele.

Meanwhile, extensive search and rescue efforts were still ongoing by NAF surveillance aircraft as well as NAF Special Forces and Nigerian Army troops on ground.

He added that even at the point they were, NAF was not ruling out anything regarding the incident.

He, however, remained hopeful that the crew would soon be found and rescued.

NAF Alpha-Jet aircraft (NAF-475) went off the radar with two crew members on board on March 31.

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) on Wednesday in Abuja commenced the airlift of COVID-19 medical relief materials donated by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to its 14-member nations.

The donation is with the support of donor partners like Team Europe, the German Government, UNDP and Deutsche Gesellschaft Fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).

A statement by the Director of Public Relations and Information, NAF Headquarters, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, stated that the items were in response to the spread of the second wave of COVID-19.

The leader of the ECOWAS Delegation and Vice President of the commission, Ms Finda Koroma, said the need for essential medical supplies became necessary to enable ECOWAS countries cope with increasing cases of infection.

This, she noted, as the second wave of the pandemic continue to increase, especially in West Africa.

Koroma recalled that the first ECOWAS support to member states of critically needed medical supplies was in August 2020, and the efforts went a long way in ameliorating the shortages experienced in some vital materials required to curb the spread.
She expressed gratitude to the Government of Nigeria and the ECOWAS COVID-19 champion, President Muhammadu Buhari, for the logistics support to ECOWAS in the airlift of the relief materials.
Koroma also commended the NAF for its willingness to always be on hand to provide airlift support whenever called upon.
She specifically thanked the Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, for the express approval given for the NAF C-130 aircraft to undertake the mission of distributing the items to ECOWAS countries in dire need.
Amao, who was represented by the Director of Operations, Air AVM Ayoola Jolasinmi, said that NAF considered the airlifting of the items a great privilege and worthy contribution to a noble cause.
While assuring the ECOWAS Commission of NAF’s commitment towards the success of the operation, he reiterated NAF’s readiness to always fulfill its constitutional role of ‘Military Assistance to Civil Authority’ whenever called upon.
The about 4,000kg relief materials, which include laboratory diagnostic kits, Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs), intensive care equipment and miscellaneous medical accessories would be airlifted by a 7-man C-130 aircraft crew.
The NAF has a history of providing aid in the form of airlift to civil authorities.
“In March 2020, it airlifted medical materials donated by the Jack Ma Foundation consisting of 107 boxes of medical supplies and equipment weighing over 1,360kg.
“Similarly, in April 2020, NAF airlifted medical equipment and supplies donated by the Turkish Government from Lagos to Abuja.
“The medical items weighing about 4,000 Kg, were airlifted by a NAF C-130 Hercules aircraft to the Central Storage Facility in Abuja on behalf of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19.
“The same period also witnessed NAF airlifting a team of stranded Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) health officials from Congo Brazzaville, where they had travelled for a World Health Organisation training programme on the management of COVID-19.”
According to the statement, all these efforts are aside the numerous in-country flights organised for officials of the Federal Ministry of Health, NCDC and other officials for ease of movement in the conduct of their responsibilities.

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) on Thursday in Abuja, buried its personnel who died in the Beechcraft King Air B350i crash on Feb. 21.

The officers were buried in National Military Cemetery, Karonmajigi, Airport Road, Abuja.

The Chief of Air Staff (CAS), AVM Oladayo Amao, said that the officers had paid the supreme price in the service to the nation.

“I stand here today bearing my personal grief as well as the entire NAF and the country as we lay to rest the remains of our fallen colleagues while in active duty to the service of their fatherland.

“I must confess that even at this moment, NAF is still in palpable shock and grieving very deeply upon this loss of our gallant and courageous heroes,” he said.

Amao said that it was in connection with the concerted efforts to secure the release of the staff and students abducted from the Government Science College Kagara, Niger that the officer died.

He advised that the death of the officers and airmen ought to spur the rest of Nigerians to relentlessly expose and fight crimes.

“We must throw everything that we have into this fight to ensure that our departed colleagues did not die in vain.

“Their death is a huge loss to NAF family and indeed the entire nation.

“They will be greatly missed but fondly remembered for their invaluable services to the nation and humanity,” he said.

The CAS also assured the families of the late officers that the service is with them at this time, as well as others both within and outside the country.

Earlier, the Director, NAF Chaplaincy Protestants, Group Capt. Dogo Gani, prayed that the remains of the fallen heroes continue to rest in peace.

Gani urged all the NAF personnel as well as the civilian staff of the service to make it a point of duty to pray for the souls of the fallen heroes to rest in the bosom hands of the Almighty God.

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has announced the names of those who lost their lives in its crashed plane on Sunday.

The Director of Public Relations and Information, NAF Headquarters, AVM Ibikunle Daramola, made the announcement in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.

According to the statement, they are Flt.-Lt. Haruna Gadzama (Captain), Flt.- Lt. Henry Piyo (Co-Pilot), Flying Officer Micheal Okpara (Airborne Tactical Observation System (ATOS Specialist).

Others are Warrant Officer Bassey Etim (ATOS Specialist), Flight Sergeant Olasunkanmi Olawunmi (ATOS Specialist), Sergeant Ugochukwu Oluka (ATOS Specialist) and Aircraftman Adewale Johnson (Onboard Technician).

The Minister of Defence, retired Maj.-Gen. Bashir Magashi and all service chiefs, among others, had earlier visited the scene of the crash.

Also, NAF had earlier confirmed that one of its aircraft, a Beechcraft KingAir B350i (NAF 201), crashed while returning to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja.

The aircraft was scheduled to conduct surveillance missions over Niger and its environs to secure the release of the abducted students and staff of Government Science College, Kagara.

The Chief of Air Staff (CAS), AVM Oladayo Amao, has also instituted an investigative panel to determine the remote and immediate causes of the crash.