The Action Democratic Party (ADP) has called for quick investigation of the military plane crash that killed the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru and ten others in Kaduna on Friday and make the outcome of investigations public.
The party described the incident as a loss not just to the families of the deceased, but to the nation at large with
a monumental catastrophe with attendant multiple consequences.
In a statement on Sunday whuch was signed by the party’s National Chairman Engr. Yabagi Y. Sani and sent to CAPITAL POST in Abuja, said it was the wishes of the fallen heroes to intensify war against terrorists, hence, government should be committed to it and defeat terrorists.
The statement said: “On behalf of the leadership and members of the ADP, I register my heartfelt condolences to the President, Commande- In- Chief of the Armed Forces, Muhammadu Buhari over the loss of one of his critical and trusted war commanders, General Attahiru Ibrahim and the other Officers and Men, at a time that their services are most needed.
“We commiserate with the Chief of Defence Staff, the other Service Chiefs, the Officer Corp and the Rank and File especially of the Army and the Air Force over the tragedy of losing, treasured and high caliber colleagues. As men and women of valour however, we believe it will be realised that the best tribute and honour befitting General Attahiru and the other fallen heroes is to shame and vanquish enemies of the nation through reinvigoration of the war against all forms of insurgency and terrorism.
“Our hearts especially go to the wives and the young children now widowed and orphaned. As they grieve the painful, irredeemable loss, we implore them to however, take solace in the fact that their husbands, fathers and bread winners lived the quintessential lives of great patriots and heroes who paid the supreme price in active service to their fatherland.
“We join in the outpouring prayers for the repose of their gallant souls in everlasting peace in the hereafter as we also beseech the Almighty God to sooth their wounds and stand by the bereaved families at this their very trying moment, amen.
“Specific on General Attahiru Ibrahim, the ADP is saddened that the nation and the military have lost such a fine, incisively intelligent Officer, Gentleman. One of the accomplishments of General Attahiru since his appointment in January, 2021, is perhaps, the rekindling of the dimmed esteem and confidence of the citizens in our Armed Forces as the shield and pride of the country. He achieved that by exhibiting the attributes of a focussed, thoroughbred professional and an apolitical war Commander.
“To his glowing credit, General Attahiru, from the onset to his last, severally and boldly demonstrated the traits of a soldier single mindedly committed to the task of winning the war against Boko Haram insurgency as well as the other security challenges in the country.
“He was without discernible pretenses, ego and neither did he manifest the self serving tendencies of reveling in media limelight and propaganda, self adulation, razzmatazz and showmanship.
“As the nation is mourning the painful demise of General Attahiru and the other officers and men, the ADP is however of the position that the sad incident calls for a clinical and succinct investigation of world class standard into the possible remote and immediate causes of the crash of the ill fated Beachraft 350. Was it for instance, an act of sabotage as it is being murmured in certain quarters? This puzzle must be cleared very urgently for good reasons.
“If on the other hand as it is being speculated by some news reports, “bad weather” occasioned by the heavy rain on the fateful Friday evening was the sole causative factor, shall we then not be pondering over the competence and integrity of the personnel who were at that moment on duty at the Control Tower and who must have given the pilot the go-ahead to land the aircraft in spite of the hazards?
“Why was the pilot not advised to hover for a while or even detoured to nearest airport? Or, was it a situation whereby a military jet with the Head of the country’s Army on board, was too low on fuel and as a result was desperate to land regardless of all the perceptible dangers?
“Also, is it not curious and perplexing that the scene of the crash was a military airport which should ideally, have the equipment, gadgets and other modern facilities that aid navigation even under inclement weather conditions as was supposedly the case? With the huge perennial budgetary allocations to the Defence sector, the nation’s military airports ought to have been of much higher grades!
“That is just as the Beachraft 130 crash has once again given rise to reasons why Nigerians should be concerned and should begin to interrogate the quality and condition of the arsenals in the nation’s military war chest.
“The third in the incidents of crashes involving jets of the Nigerian Air Force within a period of six months, all cannot be said to be well in the maintenance of critical equipment and assets of the nation’s military. In the present circumstance, shouldn’t a military jet conveying the country’s Chief of Army Staff have done better in manoeuvering under emergency situations such as the reported ” bad weather”? It is as sad as it is confounding!
“The APC led government of President Muhammad Buhari must be held accountable for failure to ensure proper maintenance culture for the aircrafts in the fleet of the Nigeria Air Force leading to this avoidable colossal waste of our young top military chiefs who are the prime assets of our nation
“The ADP is calling for credible probes into the latest calamity by a body of local and international expert investigators. The nation has been losing too much of her young men and women who have chosen the patriotic career of putting their lives on the line in defence of the rest of us and the territorial integrity of the country. It is time we stand up against the clueless, nonchalant, lackadaisical and haphazard approach consistently displayed by the APC federal government in the management of our affairs. Lieutenant General Attahiru Ibrahim and the ten other officers and men onboard the Beachcraft 350 might have still been with us if our system was working:, the statement concluded.
