The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has clarified that its Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), also known as drone experienced a mishap after take-off for a mission at a location near Rumji Village and about 15 km from Kaduna Base.
This is contrary to reports that an Airforce helicopter crashed in Kaduna in the early hours of Monday, July 1, 2024.
Air Vice Marshal Edward Gabkwet, NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, confirmed the incident, saying there were no casualties.
He added that a preliminary investigation has since commenced to ascertain the cause of the drone crash.
He said, “Since it is an unmanned vehicle, there were no casualties on board or on the ground.
“Preliminary investigation has since commenced to ascertain what may have caused the mishap.”
He assured Nigerians that the “minor setback will not, in any way, impinge on all ongoing operations” of the Air Force.
“It should also be pointed out that the propensity to always rush to press in the name of ‘breaking news’ without a grasp of the complete facts should be discouraged in its entirety.
“While the news of the crash filtered in, some outlets had misinformed Nigerians that a helicopter had crashed without the decency to clarify from the NAF.
“This attitude should be discouraged as it negates the principles of developmental journalism, balanced reporting, and fairness. Members of the media are again advised to always seek clarification from authorized military outlets before rushing to ‘break’ the news,” the NAF spokesman stated.
