- Pilots presumed dead but not yet declared MIA (Missing in Action)
- NAF, pilots’ families mourn
- NAF surveillance aircraft/Special Forces and Nigerian Army ground troops are leading search and rescue operations
The heavy concentration of landmines and likely location within the area dominated by Boko Haram/ Islamic State on West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists is hampering search and rescue operations of the missing Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Alpha-Jet.
The extensive search and rescue efforts are being handled by NAF surveillance aircraft as well as NAF Special Forces and Nigerian Army troops on ground.
This is as the NAF and families of the pilots aboard the missing Alpha-Jet fighter, Flight Lieutenants John Abolarinwa and Ebiakpo Chapele, have resigned themselves to fate as reality dawn that the duo may never be found alive.
Officially, they are presumed dead even though they cannot yet be classified as MIA (Missing in Action) because the process of search and rescue of the aircraft, and the pilots are yet to be concluded.
Sources said that it is “absolutely unlikely” that the pilots would be found alive but regretted that locating the crash site has become very difficult because the area is heavily mined and is deep into the areas dominated by Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists.
In the early hours of last week Thursday, NAF Spokesperson, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, announced the loss of contact with the Alpha-Jet while on interdiction mission in support of ground troops in Northeast region of Nigeria, stating that an immediate commencement of search and rescue operation had begun,.
Pledging open communication on the status of the aircraft and its crew, Air Commodore Gabkwet, said “the loss of radar contact occurred at about 5:08 pm on 31 March 2021. Details of the whereabouts of the aircraft or likely cause of contact loss are still sketchy but will be relayed to the general public as soon as they become clear.”
Chief of the Air Staff (CAS,), Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, arrived Maiduguri, capital of Borno State on Thursday morning to meet with members of Air Component of Operation LAFIYA DOLE over the missing Alpha-Jet aircraft.
On Friday morning, NAF released the names of the two pilots but said their whereabouts were unknown. It also officially categorized that the NAF-475 “might have crashed.”
By Friday afternoon, the Boko Haram terrorists claimed responsibility for downing the missing Alpha-Jet, in a now discredited video.
In the seven minutes, thirty seconds footage, Boko Haram fighters were seen moving along a dusty road, in gun trucks and on motor bikes and later showed a video indicating an aircraft that exploded midair before it crashed. Towards the end of the footage, a masked insurgent climbed a wreckage of the aircraft and pointed his gun into the sky and claimed responsibility.
But the NAF and other experts dismissed the claims as mere propaganda, explaining through verifiable sources that the video of the crash of the aircraft was doctored footage from the Syrian war.
A source emphatically said that “the Boko Haram/Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists does not have the capacity to deploy the $8,000 dollar Man-Portable Air-Defense Systems (MANPADS) surface-to-air missiles capable of downing an Apha-Jet subsonic fighter bomber. If they have the money to buy the MANPADS, they would not be wearing rags and be begging for food or invading communities just to have some food to eat.
“Remember that the Alpha-Jet has a maximum speed of 1,160 Kilometres per hour/0.8 Mach and flies at 14,000 feet during combat missions. And you think they can afford to buy such weapons or successfully deploy the MANPADS. All indications are that the jet may have developed technical difficulties and crashed.”
Meanwhile, as with the larger NAF family, the families of the two pilots – Flight Lieutenants John Abolarinwa and Ebiakpo Chapele – are mourning and facing the reality that they may not see the bodies of their loved ones. They are at a loss and living in uncertainty, awaiting the good news and knowing that with each new day, the prospects of their finding their bodies diminishes.
And as the search and rescue operations continue, the military expert adds, “the pilots are presumed dead but could not be classified as Missing in Action (MIA) because the process has not reached that stage. The search and rescue team is still working to reach the crash site. But it is a very difficult task because it is deep inside the areas controlled by the terrorists. And the area is heavily mined. The team is working to ensure that no live is lost among the personnel involved in the operations.
“The truth is that the aircraft crashed in ‘enemy’ territory. But the surprise is that it is so close to Maiduguri, capital of Borno State, just about 70-80 kilometres.
“Because the area is heavily mined, the investigators are treading with caution in terms of accessing the presumed crash site. And they cannot even be classified as Killed In Action (KIA) as the process takes about seven years from the date of disappearance of the personnel.”