Air Force denies sighting of aircraft in Gombi
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Air Force has dismissed the report doing the rounds that the missing Alpha Jet (NAF 466) has been sighted in Gombi Local Government of Adamawa State.
Local farmers in the area had claimed to have seen the rubbles of a crashed air plane near Gabun Primary school yesterday.
Residents of Gabun, a village in Gombi local government area, about 120km away from the state capital, claimed that they saw the rubbles of an aircraft which they suspected to be the missing fighter jet.
Similarly several residents of Hawul, a border town in Borno, said they saw an aircraft flying at a frighteningly low altitude, with the green and red stripes of the aircraft so visible, adding that the door of the aircraft seemed to have been wide open.
The residents said some minutes after the aircraft passed, they heard a loud bang.
A resident of the area, Mallam Bello, said he had never seen an aircraft flying at such an incredibly low altitude in his life which, in the first instance, created panic in him as he suspected that the airplane was in trouble and would crash into one of the mountains, but that it somehow managed to pass by.
“I am not the only person who sighted the airplane; several other residents noticed it due to the low altitude it was flying, which provoked anxiety as people trooped out of their houses to see what was happening,” he said.
But when our correspondent spoke with the spokesman of the Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Dele Alonge, he described the report as rumour and the search for the missing plane would continue.
“We have heard of the rumour; some media have already been using it without cross checking their facts. There is no truth in the rumour. [eap_ad_2] “When the information reached us, we despatched the search and rescue team to the same local government and nothing was found there, so the search continues and once it is located, we would keep the public posted through the appropriate channel”, Alonge told our correspondent.
When asked to confirm if the neighbouring countries had been informed, he answered in the affirmative.
“We are doing everything humanly possible to ensure we locate the missing aircraft. I urge the media to be cautious in publishing rumour instead of facts,” he stated.
Hoodlums in looting spree in Mubi
Fleeing residents of Mubi were caught up in a double tragedy at the weekend as hoodlums capitalized on the mass exodus of people from the area to other parts of the state to loot their property items.
The invasion of neighboring Michika and Madagali towns by Boko Haram insurgents had upped tension in the commercial border town of Mubi, forcing thousands of residents to flee the area.
Hoodlums in the area were said to have capitalised on the situation to burgle many shops and homes of the fleeing residents. The town became a ghost of its former self.
Many people, on returning to their homes after the anxiety had calmed down, were surprised to find that their property had been stolen.
Reports indicated that Shagari Low-cost and its environs were the most affected as the neighborhood was completely deserted.
A resident of the area, Mr Aliyu Madaki, said his belongings were stolen as he fled to Yola to escape the insurgents.
Another resident, Jibrilla, noted that criminals took advantage of the mass exodus of people to loot deserted homes and urged security operatives to intensify patrols in the deserted areas of the town to check the menace.
Reports also indicated that burglars capitalised on the situation to loot the items of fleeing residents of Uba town, about 30km from Mubi. Adamawa acting governor sympathises with NAF
The acting governor of Adamawa State, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, has sympathised with the Nigeria Air Force over the loss of one its fighter jets.
Fintiri said the prayers of the people were with the aircraft pilots for their safe return to their families.
In a press release signed by his chief press secretary, Mr Solomon Kumangar, the acting governor applauded the efforts being made by the military towards curbing the activities of the insurgents, saying that the state government was ready to assist them at all times. (Leadership)[eap_ad_3]