Nigeria helicopter crash: 12 troops die in air crash during evacuation mission
Nigeria helicopter crash: In an unfortunate and horrific incident, two dozen Nigerian security operatives were killed after a helicopter carrying dead and wounded soldiers from an evacuation mission in Niger state crashed during rescue operation.
The evacuation mission had been to retrieve soldiers wounded or killed in an ambush by armed bandits in Chukuba village in the Shiroro local government area of Niger state.
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A spokesperson for the Nigerian military, Major General Edward Buba confirmed the figures of troops and added that there were 14 soldiers and seven wounded ones aboard the aircraft at the time of the crash, along with two pilots and two crew members, according to the sources.
An investigation is underway to investigate the cause of the crash.
Meanwhile, authorities have not yet disclosed the details of the evacuation mission or any other relevant information about the crash, including whether it had survivors or not.
Nigeria President Bola Tinubu said in a statement on Tuesday, “These officers and men were answering the call of duty while on an evacuation mission. In their dedicated service to our beloved country, they paid the ultimate price."
Notably, the helicopter was evacuating the bodies of security operatives killed by bandits before crashing in Chukuba. Additionally, the newspaper said that the sources confirmed that the armed men carried sophisticated weapons which could bring a helicopter down.
The helicopter took off from Kaduna Airfield to Minna but it lost contact with control towers from both Kaduna and Minna.
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According to the sources, the notorious leader of a group of Bandits that has been a source of terror across parts of northwestern Nigeria bordering the countries of Niger and Chad has taken responsibility for the attack.
- With inputs from agencies
