JUST IN: No Helicopter Crash In Kaduna — NAF

On Monday, the Nigeria Air Force (NAF) refuted claims that its aircraft crashed in Kaduna State. It clarified that its Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) had experienced a mishap after take-off for a mission.

The NAF disclosed this in a statement, signed by its Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Vice Marshal, Edward Gabkwet, on Monday.

Earlier reports revealed that a helicopter belonging to the NAF had crashed in the early hours of Monday, in Tami village, Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna.

The military was said to have swiftly arrived at the scene to cordon off the crash site to prevent unauthorised access and to ensure the safety of the villagers.

However, in its official statement on the matter, the NAF said: “Contrary to reports on social media as well as on a handful of traditional media outlets that a NAF helicopter had crashed in Kaduna earlier today, 1 July 2024, be informed that no helicopter crash occurred.

“Instead, a NAF Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) experienced a mishap after take-off for a mission, at a location near Rumji Village and about 15 Km from Base. Since it is an unmanned vehicle, there were no casualties on board or on ground.”

The NAF noted that preliminary investigation has commenced to ascertain the cause of the mishap while assuring Nigerians the “minor setback” will not impinge on all ongoing operations.

The Air Force further cautioned the spread of unverified information saying, “It should also be pointed out that the propensity to always rush to press in the name of ‘breaking news’ without a hold of the complete facts should be discouraged in its entirety.

“While the news of the crash filtered in, some outlets had misinformed Nigerians that a helicopter had crashed without the decency to clarify from the NAF.

“This attitude should be discouraged as it negates the principle of developmental journalism, balanced reporting and fairness.

“Members of the media are again advised to always seek clarification from authorised military outlets before rushing to ‘break’ the news.”