A
military aircraft today crash-landed in Port Harcourt after it
developed “an emergency,” an official of the National Emergency
Management Agency (NEMA) has confirmed, butnobody aboard the craft was
killed.
A
source in the Nigeria Air Force (NAF) said that the vehicle involved
was one of the helicopters and was on a routine training mission. The
two crew members forced the chopper to land after it developed “an
engine problem,” he said.
Just
three days ago, a fighter jet also belonging to NAF crashed in Niger,
killing its two crew. The jet was said to have been participating in
military operations against al Qaeda-linked Islamic militants in Mali.
Today’s
crash follows a steady history of air crashes involving military
equipment, which are generally suspected to be poorly-maintained, some
of them routinely diverted from professional and security operations to
service the private needs of the political elite, including private
parties, weddings and funerals.
Last
year, a Nigeria Navy helicopter running funeral errands for
presidential aide Oronto Douglas crashed in Bayelsa, killing theKaduna
State Governor, Patrick Yakowa; a former National Security Adviser,
Andrew Owoye Azazi; and four others. It was subsequently said to have
had “engine trouble.”
Also
in late 2012, it was learned that Mr. Jonathan has ordered two new
luxury AW-101 VIP helicopters from AgustaWestland, the Italy-based
Anglo-Italian company, at a cost of $40 million. When he took office in
2010, Mr. Jonathan’s first achievement was the order of three new
presidential jets to be added to the presidential pool..
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