Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters has declared an Air Force plane,an Alpha Jet (NAF 466) to be precise, missing in Adamawa State, northeast Nigeria.
Director Defence Information,Major General Chris Olukolade said in a statement , “An Alpha Jet (NAF 466) belonging to the Nigerian Air Force is missing around Adamawa State.
“The aircraft, with two pilots onboard, left Yola at about 10:45am on 12 September 2014 on a routine operational mission and was expected back by 12:00 noon”,Olukolade said “Since then all efforts to establish contact with the aircraft have not yielded any positive result.”
Adamawa is one of the three states where Nigeria’s military has been battling against Boko Haram insurgency. The sect recently overran some towns in the state like thus eliciting intensive counter insurgency efforts by the Nigerian military.
There have been casualties on both sides.Last week for instance Lt Col Adeboye Obasanjo, son of former President Olusegun Obasanjo was among those shot in Mubi during battle. He underwent a minor surgery afterwards, according to a hospital official in Yola.
The latest report of missing air force plane may be an indication of the intensity of the battle on land and in the air. This is also the second reported case of mishap by Nigerian air force planes in the embattled region.
The DHQ however said, “ search and rescue effort is ongoing to establish contact with the crew”.
[+] Source: Newsdiaryonline.com