Military helicopter crashes in Adamawa

A military aircraft which was believed to be on a surveillance mission in Adamawa State crashed around 9am on Monday.

A source who spoke with our correspondent said that the aircraft came down at Damare in Girei Local Government Area just a few meters from the State Capital, Yola.

The source said that the aircraft was carrying five armed American military experts.

Efforts are on to get the reactions of the American Embassy in Abuja.

It was gathered that none of the security personnel involved in the mishap died.

It was learnt that three of the crew escaped unhurt while the other two sustained injuries and were receiving treatment at an undisclosed military hospital in Yola.

The spokesperson of the Defence headquarters, Chris Olukolade, a Major General, could not be reached for comments just as the  spokesperson of the Nigerian Air Force, Dele Alonge. They did not answer or return calls.

News of the helicopter crash came about two months after a Nigerian Air Force fighter jet, went missing during routine operations in the northern part of Adamawa State.

The Nigerian Army has also released a statement to confirm the crash of the helicopter.

According to it, the NAF “Shark 23” helicopter crash-landed at the Yola International Airport in the morning of November 10, 2014, about 9am.

The aircraft was on a training mission, but, due to unknown reasons, it was forced to embark on controlled emergency landing about 4 minutes after the take-off.

There were no casualties. All the crew members were recovered. At the same time it is unclear how many of them were on board. Condition of the crew members and / or passengers also remains unclear.

The statement by the Defence Headquarters reassured that the NAF would study all the circumstance of the tragedy and had already set up the appropriate investigation panel.

Confirming the incident, a resident that lives close to the scene of the crash, Jamilu Inuwa, told Premium Times that he saw the chopper go down.

“The helicopter crashed in Damare,” he said. “I don’t know if it is a military plane or not,” he added.

Also, a journalist based in Yola, identified as Inuwa, informed that he had it on good authority that the helicopter was on surveillance mission and was carrying arms and ammunition, claiming there were some foreigners aboard.

“Immediately after the crash, soldiers were drafted to the scene to cordon off the scene,” the journalist told Premium Times.

Inuwa also said the scene of the crash is not far from the temporary camp of the National Youth Service Corps which is serving as a base for the internally displaced persons [IDPs] in the state.

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Military helicopter crashes in Adamawa