Nineteen months after his aircraft crashed in Borno State, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) on Thursday laid to rest the remains of Flight Lieutenant Ebiakpo Agberia Chappelle at the National Military Cemetery, Abuja.
Flight Lieutenant Chappelle was the pilot of missing Alpha fighter jet, marked NAF 475, went missing after losing radar contact with the NAF Base in Maiduguri, the Borno State Capital at about 5:08 pm on Wednesday, March 31, 2021.
The NAF jet was on a mission against the Boko Haram/Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists in the area.
Troops of the Nigerian Army discovered the wreckage of missing NAF aircraft on Saturday March 26, 2022, 359 days after its disappearance and loss of contact with the radar in Borno State.
The Nigerian Army, in announcing the discovery on its official Facebook handle, said its troops of Operation Desert Sanity found the wreckage of the crashed Alpha Jet aircraft in Sambisa Forest, Borno State.
The Army’s terse statement read: “Troops of Operation Desert Sanity on clearance patrol in Sambisa Forest, Borno State, have uncovered the wreckage of crashed Alpha Jet aircraft (NAF475) that went off the radar with two crew members on 31 March 2021. Further exploitation ongoing.”
NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, had in a statement in April 2021 expressed fears that the aircraft might have crashed.
“Intelligence report gathered by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) indicates that the Alpha Jet aircraft (NAF475) that went off the radar with two crew members on board on 31 March 2021 might have crashed,” he said.
He added, “Extensive search and rescue efforts are still ongoing by NAF surveillance aircraft as well as NAF Special Forces and Nigerian Army troops on the ground.
“At this point, the NAF is not ruling out anything regarding the incident. It, however, remains hopeful that the crew would soon be found and rescued.”
First published in Leadership
