On Wednesday, the Nigerian Air Force declared that it will not succumb to the propaganda spread by terrorists aboard the crashed plane.
The service was responding to a social media video that claimed to show the MI-171 helicopter’s wreckage and victims’ remains near Chukuba Village in Niger State’s Shiroro Local Government Area.
Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, the NAF spokesperson, said in a statement that accidents are not unique to the Air Force and that they can occasionally occur in counterinsurgency and counterterrorism operations.
The wreckage of the MI-171 helicopter with the bodies of victims at Chukuba Village in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State, according to a video apparently circulating on social media, has caught the attention of the Nigerian Air Force, he added. Although it is not in the nature of the NAF to reply to such assertions, particularly ones made by terrorists, the urgency of addressing the propaganda has been highlighted by well-intentioned Nigerians.
“Incidences of fatalities, accidents, and crashes are occasionally unavoidable in counterinsurgency and counterterrorism operations, as in all military formations. In an effort to counter terrorist and criminal activity in the nation, the NAF has expanded the number of aviation operations over the past eight years.
As a result of an expanded fleet and higher levels of air operations, Gabkwet continued, it is sometimes impossible to avoid air accidents and mishaps for a variety of reasons.
Indeed, the statement continued, “Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, Chief of the Air Staff, noted that the rates of aircraft accidents/incidences are directly proportional to the heightened level of air operations” when he hosted Governor Umaru Bago of Niger State at his office on August 15, 2023.
He said the service would never hesitate to determine what caused the crash.
“While the NAF regrets such regrettable accidents, particularly when they result in the deaths of our colleagues, the Service will never hesitate to identify the most likely reason for the crash in order to make conclusions,” Gbkwet added.
However, he encouraged individuals who were disseminating the film to stop since it was encouraging “terrorist propaganda tendencies” and might lower soldier morale.
The spokesperson said, “For those aiding and abetting the propaganda tendencies of terrorists, whether intentionally or unintentionally, by disseminating videos of the alleged crash site with graphic images of dead military personnel, it is imperative that they reconsider the effects of their actions on the morale of troops, families of deceased personnel, and Nigeria’s national security.
He added that the military was unwavering and would make sure the adversaries were dealt with.
Our resolve and drive to improve the current security situation in Niger State and, in fact, all difficult areas of the nation, remain unwavering for the NAF and all members of the Armed Forces as a whole. If anything, we are more determined than ever to engage the adversary head-on until we bring them to their knees.
He urged Nigerians to assist the military and other security forces, promising that they will work together to defeat the adversaries.
