Ondo aircraft crash: Deceased officers are highly trained professionals — Chief of Air Staff

AKURE — The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, has described the Nigerian Air Force personnel killed in Monday’s aircraft crash in Ondo State as highly trained professionals, saying the circumstances surrounding the incident would be thoroughly investigated.

Aneke spoke on Thursday when he visited the scene of the crash at Igbokoda in Ilaje Local Government Area of the state.

The Air Force chief said it was too early to speculate on the cause of the crash, stressing that experts and investigators would work to establish exactly what happened.

He said: “They are highly trained professional officers.

“Whatever happened here will be properly investigated. We must sit down to get what happened. This is not the time to speculate what happened. We must get to the root of this.”

Aneke described the incident as a major loss to the Nigerian Air Force and the families of the deceased personnel.

“It’s a very big loss. I am bereaved and no amount of words can be enough to calm the relatives of the victims,” he said.

The Chief of the Air Staff also assured the families of the deceased that the Nigerian Air Force would not abandon them, adding that efforts would be made to recover the wreckage and determine the cause of the accident.

He said, “I assure Nigerians that we will make sure to get the wreckages of the aircraft and get to the root of it. We will make sure that nothing of this will happen again.

“I assure the families that they will not be left alone. Air Force will be responsible to the families and make sure that children and families are taken care of.”

Aneke also commended the dedication and professionalism of the personnel involved in the operation, as well as the support provided by sister security agencies, government authorities and local communities.

He specifically appreciated the police and other security agencies for their assistance in the response to the crash.

The Air Force chief had earlier commended the personnel involved in the operation for their dedication and professionalism, while expressing appreciation to all those who contributed to the response and recovery efforts.

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