Second Military Helicopter Crashes In Adamawa State In Just A Week

Just a few days after a military helicopter crashed in the
Damare area of Adamawa State, another one has crashed in
Yola.
The latest crash occurred late yesterday night, according to
Premium Times.
Multiple sources in Yola, the Adamawa State capital,
revealed on Thursday night that another military helicopter
crashed around 9 p.m Thursday around the surroundings of
the Modibbo Adama University of Technology [MAUTECH] in
Girei Local Government Area of the state.
"It is true a helicopter just crashed near MAUTECH at around
9:30 pm. There were actually two of them flying beside each
other and when one crashed, the other one turned back,"
said a Yola resident who simply gave his name as Dan
Asabe.
A student of MAUTECH, Abdulrahman Shehu, stated that he
saw the helicopter go down.
Mr. Shehu said Thursday night, "We came out of our hostel
when we heard the sound of choppers and noticed that
there were two of them flying in the dark without lights on.
"Suddenly one of them went down and exploded with a
deafening sound. Immediately that happened the other one
turned back and left. Obviously there were explosives inside
the chopper because intermittent explosions followed the
fall of the helicopter creating a huge fire blast.
"Even as we speak, you can see the huge fire blazing from
our hostel, although the explosions have abated a little.
"Another chopper came but could not land near the fallen
chopper and Soldiers have already come with ambulances
and headed to the crash site which is not more than two
kilometres from our school."
The spokesperson of the Nigerian Air Force, Dele Alonge, an
Air Commodore, confirmed the incident, but said details
were still sketchy.
"Once we get all the facts, we will come out with a release on
the incident," Mr. Alonge said. "But one thing is clear, the
helicopter did not come under enemy fire. It has nothing to
do with the enemy."
Another chopper on surveillance mission had on Monday
crashed at Damare also in Girei Local Government.
The defence Headquarters later confirmed the crash saying
however that no one died in the incident.
News of the latest helicopter crash came about two months
after a Nigerian Air Force fighter jet, went missing during
routine operations in the northern part of Adamawa State.
The Nigerian Air Force aircraft went missing on September
12.
The aircraft, an Alpha Jet (NAF 466) was involved in the
counter insurgency operation against the extremist Boko
Haram sect.
The whereabouts of the missing Alpha Jet had become a
subject of conjectures following the inability of the Nigeria
Air Force to tell Nigerians what actually happened to the
fighter jet.
Boko Haram insurgents later claimed shooting the aircraft
down in a video in which they appeared to slaughter one of
the pilots of the missing jet.
But last week, local fishermen claimed they found wreckages
of the jet in the River Benue.
The fishermen said they found the aircraft at Kwa Ine
Village, Demsa Local Government, about 50 kilometers away
from Yola, the Adamawa state capital.

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