The Nigerian Air Force on Wednesday said it would not give in to the propaganda peddled by terrorists on the crashed aircraft.

This followed a video circulating on social media allegedly depicting the wreckage of the crashed MI-171 helicopter with bodies of victims at Chukuba Village in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State.

reacting to the video, NAF spokesperson, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet said that crashes are not peculiar to the Air Force, adding that in counterinsurgency and counterterrorism operations, incidences of fatalities, mishaps, and crashes are sometimes inevitable.

“The attention of the Nigerian Air Force has been drawn to a video circulating on social media platforms allegedly depicting the wreckage of the crashed MI-171 helicopter with bodies of victims at Chukuba Village in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State. While it is not in the character of the NAF to respond to such claims, particularly one peddled by terrorists, concerns expressed by well-meaning Nigerians on the need to address the propaganda becomes imperative.

“Like all military organisations involved in counterinsurgency and counterterrorism operations, incidences of fatalities, mishaps, and crashes are sometimes inevitable. For the NAF, the last 8 years have seen an increased level of air operations in efforts at checkmating the nefarious activities of terrorists and criminal elements in the country.”He said.

Gabkwet added that with the heightened level of air operations, occasioned by an enhanced fleet, the likelihood of air mishaps and accidents at times become unavoidable due to various reasons.

“Indeed, the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar said this much when he hosted Governor Umaru Bago of Niger State, yesterday 15 August 2023, at his office where he noted that the rates of aircraft accidents/incidences are directly proportional to the heightened level of air operations,” the statement added.

He added that the service would never shy away from unraveling the cause of the crash.