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The Flying Coffins of Nigeria Armed Forces, Which Way Forward?
By Moses Idika
All over the world, the Air Force is the power base of the military, modern warfare is fought in the air, the land forces merely “clear the debris.”
The ongoing Israel and Palestine Conflict is a testimony of what modern warfare looks like. adsbygoogle || []).push({}); googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js">
In Nigeria, however, our Air Force is the weakest link of the armed forces.
It is unexplainable that within three months the Nigeria Air Force has lost three of its planes. More confounding is the fact that Nigerian authorities are clueless as to why the situation persists.
Nigeria government in the last six years has been in frenzy with regards to “acquiring” new technologies and especially aircrafts for the country, yet we keep losing precious airmen as if it was normal.
Taking stock of the last three air disasters involving Nigeria Military carriers reveals an unfortunate pattern enmeshed in an unfeeling corrupt cabal within a government that obvious gives no hoot if all the plane in its fleet crashes provided the Presidential Jet in unaffected.
On Friday night, the nation’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru and 10 other military personnel perished at the Kaduna International Airport in an air crash involving a NAF Beachcraft 350 aircraft which burst into flames after it crash landed just few metres to the runaway.
According to the Spokesman of the Nigerian Air Force, the “air crash involving a Nigerian Air Force aircraft occurred this evening near the Kaduna International Airport. The immediate cause of the crash is still being ascertained. More details to follow soon,” the same story that has always been told each time the recurrent decimal takes place.
The latest crash is the third in the unfortunate series of crashes involving NAF planes with no convincing explanation as to what happened and how future crashes could be avoided.
On Sunday, February 21, 2021, another NAF Beechcraft KingAir B350i aircraft crash landed just before the runway of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja killing all seven NAF personnel onboard. The crew of the ill-fated plane was said to had earlier reported engine failure.
In yet another unfortunate and perhaps the most painful accident involving NAF aircraft, on Wednesday, March 31, 2021, an Alpha-Jet aircraft that was in the battlefront in the endless war against Boko Haram terrorists and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) was lost and till today nothing has been heard about what happened to that jet or its crew.
While the insurgents claimed responsibility for downing the fighter jet, the Nigerian military denied the “shutdown” story, but has been unable to give a credible alternative explanation to what happened to aircraft or its tow pilots.
Just within three months a total of 20 Nigeria military personnel have lost their lives to air accidents that cannot be explained.
Nigeria’s Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo on two occasions escaped death by whiskers when his chopper went down. First in June 2017 when the presidential chopper crashed after take-off in Gwagwalada town in the FCT and on February 2019 when the VP’s chopper once again went down in Kabba, a sleepy town in Kogi State. The VP is the real cat with nine lives obviously.
The above sad fortune of the Nigeria armed forces has led to questions being asked about the safety of military aviation in the country, as civil aviation has recorded no crash involving commercial flights in about a decade now, thankfully.
What could be responsible?
On Wednesday August 30, 2017, the Nigerian Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) released its report on the Nigeria Police Helicopter that crashed in a village near Jos, Plateau State that killed the then newly promoted Deputy Inspector General of Police, Haruna John and three other police personnel including the pilot of the chopper.
The report of the AIB was startling as it was revealing. That report gave insight into what may be happening to the Nigeria military as far as the recurring air crashes involving its aircrafts is concerned.
According to the details of the AIB’s report presented by its Commissioner, Akin Olateru at the bureau’s headquarters at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, the two pilots, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Garba Yelwa and Alexander Pwol-ja (co-pilot) that were in charge of the helicopter had no business flying the chopper as at the time it crashed.
Both pilots were not qualified to man the aircraft; they had no adequate training on the aircraft in line with global aviation rules.
According to the AIB report, Yelwa’s medical certificate and simulator recurrency had expired at the time of the crash, while the co-pilot was not equally type-rated on the helicopter brand, meaning that he did not have the proper certification to pilot the helicopter. It beats all imaginations that the Nigeria armed forces put two of its personnel with no adequate training or know-how of a plane on the cockpit, more so as the bird was to ferry one of its most senior officers.
Also, the report revealed that the engineer that released the helicopter prior to the flight was similarly unqualified!
The report revealed that the engineer did not have the necessary type-training and type-rating for the aircraft type he released to embark on the journey that eventually claimed the lives of the DIG, his orderly and the two unqualified flight crew. Imagine calling a radio technician to fix your car.
Nine years after that watershed AIB report, military aviation in Nigeria seem to have taken a deeper dip into chaos.
Despite the fact that the AIB, in its safety recommendations, called on the Nigeria Police Force, and by extension the military to provide the proper funding, to carter for proper training of its personnel and to provide a conducive working environment, and develop and implement a robust training program for its technical and operational personnel with adequate supervision and approved equipment to enhance safety, the question remains which part of that report was not clear to the authorities or have been implemented by our armed forces?
From all indications, the situation has obviously worsened. If not why would the Nigeria military lose 20 of its bright stars within a space of three months in air crashes and nobody is taking responsibility?
It is only in Nigeria that military and police vehicles breakdown on the roads with reckless abandon!
They have started treating our military aircrafts like patrol vans.
I can imagine the people in charge of maintenance of these aircrafts wondering while the government will be “spending such huge amounts of dollars to carry out routine maintenance on a plane that is not broken down.”
While Nigeria top military brass and the police high command build mansions in choice areas across the capitals of Nigeria, buying palatial villas in Dubai and London, the work tools of our armed forces become decrepit, worn out and thereby exposing service men to their untimely deaths.
This inability to get Nigeria airpower to function obviously explains why the Boko Haram insurgents and bandits are fast overrunning parts of the country, or how else can one explain why a ragtag militia men on motorbikes can continually inflict such mortal blows on the Nigeria military.
The Federal Government should for once take responsibility, take charge and abide by the rule books in handling security in the country by ensuring that proper steps in line with international aviation safety regulations are taking to save our military personnel from the flying coffins that our armed forces planes have become.
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President Tinubu Extols Late Prince Abubakar Audu’s Legacies
From Joseph Amedu, Lokoja
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has described late Prince Abubakar Audu as a “friend, ally, and trailblazer of democracy declaring that his foot-print in Kogi state as former Governor remains the best since the creation of the state.
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The President gave the commendation while speaking at the 10th Memorial Anniversary and Book Presentation organised by the state government in collaboration with the immediate family in honour of the late political ICON
Tinubu who was represented by the Hon. Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, lauded late Prince Audu’s commitment to democratic ideals and the development of Kogi State.
President Tinubu noted that Prince Audu’s leadership was marked by courage, vision, and dedication to the prosperity and security of his people, calling his legacy “a living template for good governance” that continues to inspire leaders across the nation.
The event drew political leaders, statesmen, and dignitaries from across Nigeria, including the representation of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, to commemorate a decade since the passing of the iconic leader whose vision and leadership continue to influence the political and developmental trajectory of Kogi State.
Minister of Steel Development, Prince Shuaibu Abubakar Audu, son of the late statesman, reaffirmed his commitment to advancing his father’s legacy.
He described the memorial as a solemn reminder of the enduring influence Prince Audu holds in the hearts of the people and the continued relevance of his contributions to the growth of Kogi State.
The Minister recalled his father’s visionary leadership, foundational reforms, and passion for public service, noting that successive administrations still draw from the structures and institutions he established.
Prince Shuaibu Audu highlighted his ongoing efforts to revitalize the Ajaokuta Steel Company and strengthen Nigeria’s steel sector as a continuation of his father’s dream for industrial and economic development in Kogi State.
He thanked all partners and stakeholders supporting these initiatives, reiterating that the collective aspiration for a stronger Kogi State and a more prosperous Nigeria is rooted in his father’s enduring vision.
The Minister also expressed profound gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR for his continuous support to the Audu family.
He also thanked the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. George Akume, CON, who attended the event. He described Senator Akume as a friend and colleague of his late father from the class of 1999 governors, acknowledging his role in supporting and honouring Prince Audu’s memory.
He further commended the Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo, and members of the State Executive Council for hosting the memorial as a state event, noting that it reflects the enduring respect Kogi State holds for Prince Audu.
He also acknowledged former Governor Yahaya Adoza Bello, CON, Capt. Idris Wada, and Rt. Hon. James Abiodun Faleke for their continued dedication to preserving his father’s legacy, describing their presence as a testament to the late leader’s far-reaching impact.
Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo, Chief Host of the event, described Prince Audu as a visionary leader whose transformative governance continues to shape Kogi State.
In a symbolic tribute, he announced the renaming of a major township road as Prince Abubakar Audu Boulevard, directing relevant agencies to install signage, repair roads, install streetlights, and beautify the area. The Governor emphasised that these measures are part of his administration’s ongoing commitment to uphold Prince Audu’s ideals of unity, progress, and service to the people.
In his remarks, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. George Akume CON said that the late Prince Abubakar Audu was marked as an icon of development and great vision, noting his contribution to the development of Benue State in the time he served in Benue State.
He described him as a man who was genuinely loved by his people as one of the first Nigerians that won in a free, fair and credible elections.
The immediate past governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Adoza Bello urged everyone to reflect on the life and times of the late former governor who was a revolutionary and served with all sincerity, who while in office took bold steps that have continued to impact positively of the people of Kogi State and Nigeria even long after his demise.
The memorial also featured the inauguration of the Board of Trustees of the Prince Abubakar Audu Leadership Foundation, alongside a lecture and book review of “Prince Abubakar Audu: A Legacy of Visionary Leadership”, reviewed by former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Prince Adetokunbo Kayode, SAN.
Other dignitaries present included former Governors Capt. Idris Wada and Yahaya Adoza Bello, Rt. Hon. James Faleke, and numerous political and community leaders who paid tribute to the late statesman.
The 10th memorial celebration served as both a solemn remembrance and a reaffirmation of the enduring impact of Prince Abubakar Audu’s leadership, inspiring current and future generations to continue the work of unity, progress, and transformative governance in Kogi State.
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Apo/Karshi road: FCTA tarminates contract over incompetence
By Wumi Tewogbade, Abuja
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, revealed on Thursday, said it has terminated Apo/Karshi road over incompetence and the contract have already been reawarded to another contractor.
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The project was re – awarded under emergency project and will be flagged off by the FCT Minster soon.
Wike revealed this when he inspected Karu , OSEX and Kishiri road , Abuja.
It would be recalled that, the Apo-Karshi road contract was awarded in 2011. The project was given to M/S Kakatar Nig. Ltd by the administration at the time and was initially expected to be completed within 20 months.
And due to the inability of M/S Kakatar Nig. Ltd, to be able to do the project, the administration terminated the contract and awarded it to SCC contractor.
According to Wike, “Let me tell you the truth, we have terminated that contract; it has been reawarded to SCC. If you go there now, you will see that they have started work. It is a road that so many people are very interested in because it will decongest some of these areas. So that’s why we should do it, and like I said, we cannot continue to play politics when it comes to the welfare of the people. That road has been terminated.
“And the road leading from Kubwa to Bwari has also started, so that there will be an alternative route to Bwari. That’s also awarded to SCC. So, we can assure you that things are moving very well according to plan”.
Speaking on Karu, Gishiri, and OSEX, he said, “Well, I have always said, what makes the government feel relaxed is when the people are happy. Of course, the very essence of governance is to make people be happy and make them have what improves their lives. When we went to Karu, you remember the first time we went to Karu to flag off, it was one road. And there, I made a promise that all the other connecting roads would be included.
“I am very happy to report the progress on the job. The contractor is doing very well. And that shows this is one of the projects we are going to line up for the 3rd anniversary of Mr President. I am quite impressed. And those houses that blocked the water channel, we are going to bring them down, to enable water to have its own way.
“And then we went to Gishiri, and you see the level of work being done by CGC. All those roads that were done by them, which were inaugurated by Mr President sometime in June this year, and that project also will be inaugurated on the 3rd anniversary of Mr President. Now we are in OSEX. This leads you from Apo to Wassa. And it’s also part of the road by the grace of God, certainly will be inaugurated in his 3rd year in office.
“So, you can see the happiness of everybody. And that’s what shows that the Renewed Hope Agenda is really working. People had never seen this type of development in Abuja before. And that is why you can imagine when we were at Karu, just mere coming down, see how the students were very happy. As we went to Girishi, look at how the pupils there are all very happy. And so, it makes us happy too”.
On the woman in Karu that built on water channel, that the FCT Minister promised some compensation, the Minister said, yes, the woman did the wrong thing and her property must go down or this can cause flooding later.
“You cannot do something to block the water channels, and we are even sympathetic by saying that we were going to give you money, but we must allow the water to have its way, because if not, it will cause a lot of flooding. That will also not be good for the people living around there. So sometimes we should not be emotional. She’s crying.
“She did the wrong thing. she caused the problem. But we are giving the human face by saying, okay, we’ll give you some funds so that yiu can find an alternative. Ordinarily, we don’t need to have done that. What she has done was to violate the building regulation”, he said.
For 2026, Wike, said Abuja residents should expect more infrastural development that will lift the lives of the people, that will improve the economic activities.
“We have started procurement around all our health centres. So next year, we believe that what you see in 2025 will be nothing to compare to what we’ll see in 2026. And I must tell you the truth, in 2026, we are not likely to put any new projects.
“We want to make sure that the projects we have started this year will be completed in 2026. Those projects will come in the 2026 budget. Mind you, that year appears to be a political year. So, you don’t expect to start projects that you may not be able to finish within the period that you’re appointed to stay. So, we want to make sure all projects we have started, by the grace of God, were completed”, he noted.
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NDLEA Stumbles in Asset Declaration Case Against Abba Kyari as Cross-Examination Ends in Confusion
By Our Correspindent
The NDLEA on Wednesday suffered a major setback in its asset-declaration case against Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Abba Kyari at the Federal High Court, Abuja, after the cross-examination of the first respondent ended with little progress and several moments of courtroom tension.
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The case, instituted by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), alleges that Kyari failed to declare his assets. However, during cross-examination, the prosecution — led by counsel Sunday Joseph —unsuccessfully struggled to establish inconsistencies in Kyari’s statements, especially regarding inheritance and property ownership.
At the previous sitting, Joseph attempted to compel Kyari to admit that all properties left by his late father were exclusively his. Kyari firmly corrected the claim, explaining that the properties belonged to the entire family and would be shared among his 29 siblings whenever the family decided to do so.
Kyari also reiterated to the court that he declared all his assets and bank accounts, insisting that over 90% of the properties the NDLEA claimed belonged to him were completely false. He stated that the legitimate owners of those properties had already come forward, tendered their documents in court, and exposed NDLEA’s media-trial narratives as fabricated.
He further informed the court that all his bank account statements are before the court, showing that he has less than ₦4 million combined across all his accounts — accounts which NDLEA has blocked for more than three years. Kyari emphasized that not a single kobo in any of his accounts has ever been linked to any criminal activity despite NDLEA’s public allegations.
> “My late father left over 20 houses for his children in Maiduguri. About four were sold to cater for his medical treatment,” Kyari told the court.
Attempts by the prosecution to shift their questioning toward unrelated matters were swiftly rejected by Justice Omotosho, who cautioned the NDLEA counsel against straying into irrelevant territory.
> “I won’t allow that. This case has nothing to do with cocaine. This is strictly about alleged non-declaration of assets. You cannot come here and ask irrelevant questions,” the judge warned.
“If you waste your allotted time, I will end your case. Stick to what is before the court.”
Tension rose again when Joseph made what the court described as a “parable,” prompting an even sterner warning from Justice Omotosho.
> “Be careful. Do not come here and impugn this holy temple. What do you mean by that? Are you trying to teach the court its job? It appears you are not ready,” the visibly irritated judge stated.
During Wednesday’s resumed hearing, the prosecution presented a police document and repeatedly asked Kyari to refer to specific pages, causing confusion in court.
“Page 20?” Joseph asked.
Kyari responded, “Page 20 contains details of drug suspects arrested by the Police and the transfer of suspects and exhibits to NDLEA.”
On page 19, Kyari again clarified that it contained similar arrests of the drug suspects by the Police IRT and handover NDLEA — none related to the asset-declaration charge.
Justice Omotosho later allowed the prosecution more time to verify the document.
Kyari then pointed out that the document being relied upon was merely an interim police report, stressing that a final and superior police report is available and contradicts the three-year-old interim version.
Kyari also detailed several false claims the NDLEA had made against him, including publicly alleging that he owned the Borno State Government polo ground — a property belonging to the state government long before he was born. He reminded the court that NDLEA also filed false statements in the Federal High Court, Maiduguri, claiming he confessed to owning properties belonging to innocent Nigerians. Those real property owners, armed with their documents, have since filed cases against NDLEA.
After these exchanges, the NDLEA counsel abruptly announced that he had no further questions, surprising both the court and observers. Chief Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), counsel for the defence, also confirmed he had no additional cross-examination.
The matter has been adjourned for the filing and adoption of final written addresses, after which judgment will be delivered.
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