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By Chukwudi Nweje, Sylvanus Viashima, Jalingo, Fred Ezeh, and Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has said that the late Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru and 10 other military officers who died in the military King Air 350 aircraft that crashed on Friday, May 21 near Kaduna Airport “laid down their lives in order to keep our nation safe and secure from the aggression of terrorists, bandits and other criminal elements in our nation.”
“Our hearts are filled with sorrow for the supreme price they paid, we acknowledge with sense of gratitude to them, their selfless services to all of us in the nation. They laid down their lives in order to keep our nation safe and secure from the aggression of terrorists, bandits and other criminal elements in our nation,” CAN said in a condolence letter signed by Daramola Bade Joseph, its National Secretary yesterday.
The association called on Nigerians to join them in sober prayers on May 28 to mourn “the unprecedented shedding of innocent blood in our nation and to pray to God for his quick intervention in our situation so that normalcy might return.”
It commiserated with President Muhammadu Buhari, the army and families of the deceased officers and prayed God to grant them the fortitude and comfort of the Holy Spirit to bear the loss and avert such air disaster from befalling Nigeria again.
CAN also called for thorough investigation to unravel the remote and immediate causes of the crashes of air force jets in recent months and called for adequate training of pilots in both the military and civil aviation sector.
•Ishaku, speaker condole with army, Atahiru’s family
Taraba State Governor, Darius Ishaku, has condoled with the army and families of Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru and 10 other military officers who died in the Friday plane crash.
In a statement in Jalingo, the state capital, signed by Special Adviser on Media and publicity, Bala Dan Abu, the governor described Attahiru’s death and that of the officers as shocking and a big blow to families of victims, the army and the nation at large.
“The death of the officers is shocking and a big blow to the families of the victims, the military and the nation at large as the late Chief of Army Staff was a highly disciplined officer who assumed the leadership of the army at a time that Nigerians craved for a change in the military strategy against insecurity in the country. The death of the Chief of Army Staff and the other victims of the crash at this time has robbed the country of their contributions to this highly sought new strategy in the war against insecurity in Nigeria,” Ishaku said.
He prayed God to grant the souls of the late military officers peaceful rest and their families the fortitude to bear these monumental losses.
In a related development, Speaker of the state’s House of Assembly, Prof. Joseph Albasu Kunini, also described the death of the COAS and other military officers as “worrisome and heartbreaking loss”.
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The speaker who gave his condolence message when he interacted with journalists in Jalingo, at the weekend, said: “This is the last thing the country needed at this time. I must say that it is a dark weekend for Nigerians, the Nigerian army, but most especially for the bereaved families. If you ask me, I would say this is one crash too many. In the last three months or so, we have witnessed three military plane crashes with collateral losses. This cannot be happening.”
•Group begs Buhari to probe plane crashes
A non-governmental and non non-profit organisation, with consultative status of ECOSOC/United Nations and Centre for Convention on Democratic, incoporated in the U.S has urged the Federal Government to probe the circumstances surrounding the military plane crash in Kaduna State.
Joint Chairman and President,Boards of Directors, Olufemi Aduwo, made the plea in Abuja, at the weekend
“We appeal to Your Excellency to order for immediate ground of Beechcraft King Air 350i fleet and the stakeholders, manufacturer and government of Nigeria should set up a technical investigation team to investigate the remote and immediate causes of the crash and the two other Air force aircrafts crashed in February and March 2021; in Abuja and Maiduguri, respectively. The light suddenly went off for the nation on this day. But, even in the midst of darkness and pain we see hope. As we mourn, we also celebrate the extraordinary lives of these patriotic officers and men who devoted their lives and died with their boots on defending the country against external aggression and territorial integrity of our nation, our common home and future.”
•Buhari needed 48 hours clearance to attend burial -Presidency
The Presidency has explained that President Muhammmadu Buhari needed clearance to be able to physically attend the burial of the late Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, and other officers in Abuja on Saturday
Buhari’s absence at their burial on Saturday elicited public uproar as some accused him of lacking empathy.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Social Media, Lauretta Onochie, through her verified Twitter handle @Laurestar said: “For a President to be at any funeral or event outside the Presidential Villa, the event must have at least 48 hours for intelligence operatives to do surveillance and clearance before the President can go based on the security report. In insecurity parlance, funeral ceremonies are where politically exposed persons face more risks.”
