Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, has landed in Maiduguri, capital of Borno State, for a parley with members of air component of Operation Lafiya Dole over the missing Alpha fighter jet.
“I’m here today (yesterday) in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital for the ongoing search and rescue of the missing fighter jet.
“We lost contact with our Alfa jet in Borno State while on an interdiction mission to support our ground troops in Sambisa Forest,” he said.
A tweet from the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) spokesman, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, read: “The CAS, Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, @CAS_I.O. Amao, arrived Maiduguri this morning (yesterday) and was briefed on ongoing search and rescue efforts in connection with the missing Alpha jet aircraft.”
Earlier, Gabkwet confirmed in a statement that, “a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Alpha jet has lost contact with radar in Borno State while on interdiction mission in support of ground troops.”
He continued: “The mission was part of the ongoing counter-insurgency operations in the North East.
“The loss of radar contact occurred at about 5:08p.m. on March 31, 2021.
“Details of the whereabouts of the aircraft or likely cause of contact loss are still sketchy but will be relayed to the general public as soon as they become clear. Meanwhile, search and rescue efforts are ongoing.”
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