Chief of the Air Staff (CAS,), Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, arrived in Maiduguri, capital of Borno State on Thursday morning to meet with members of the Air Component of Operation LAFIYA DOLE over the missing Alpha-Jet aircraft.
A tweet from Nigerian Air Force (NAF) spokesperson, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, confirmed his presence.
It said: “The CAS, Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, @CAS_IOAmao, arrived Maiduguri this morning and was briefed on ongoing search and rescue efforts in connection with the missing Alpha Jet aircraft.”
Early on Thursday, Air Commodore Gabkwet said 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.
“The mission was part of the ongoing counterinsurgency operations in the North East.
“The loss of radar contact occurred at about 5:08 pm on 31 March 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.”
