Nigerian army chief among 11 dead in air force plane crash

In this file photo taken on Jan 31, 2021 Chief of Army Staff Major General Ibrahim Attahiru is seen at the theater command operations Lafiya Dole headquarters in Maiduguri, Nigeria. (AUDU MARTE / AFP)

All 11 Nigerian military officers, including Chief of Army Staff Ibrahim Attahiru, died in a plane crash on Friday on an official visit to the northern state of Kaduna, the presidency and the army spokesperson said.

The air force said in a statement that its plane crashed near Kaduna airport and that it was investigating the cause. Kaduna has had security challenges in recent months.

President Muhammadu Buhari, in a presidency statement, described the crash as a "mortal blow … at a time our armed forces are poised to end the security challenges facing the country"

The presidency said the army general and several other military officers died in the crash on Friday.

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President Muhammadu Buhari, in a presidency statement, described the crash as a "mortal blow … at a time our armed forces are poised to end the security challenges facing the country."

Buhari appointed Attahiru alongside other military chiefs in January after years of mounting criticism over spreading violence by Islamist insurgents and armed gangs.

Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, has had poor air safety record in the past, although it has improved in recent years.

The incident on Friday was the third air crash involving Nigerian military jets this year.

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On Feb 21, seven Nigerian air force officers died when a military jet reported engine failure and crashed near the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport in Abuja.

Another military jet involved in the anti-terror war against Boko Haram in the country's northeastern state of Borno had reportedly lost contact with the radar on March 31. 

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