Tension as military aircraft crashes in Niger

A Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Alpha Jet crashed on Saturday near Karabonde community in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State. Both pilots survived after safely ejecting from the aircraft shortly before it went down.

The incident, which occurred at about 4:10 p.m., caused panic in nearby communities as residents reported hearing a loud sound followed by smoke rising from the area.

Local digital broadcaster, Lapai TV, first broke the news in a brief statement accompanied by a 57-second video, confirming that the pilots survived.

“Two Nigerian Air Force pilots reportedly survive Alpha Jet crash close to Karabonde, Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State,” the outlet posted on its verified Facebook page.

An eyewitness who earlier contacted TheLeader through a WhatsApp voice note and video said the aircraft appeared to have taken off from the NAF base in Kainji before going down.

“I think the aircraft took off from the Kainji Air Force Base. We learnt that the air force is mobilising to the crash site,” he said.

Another resident, Lukman Sulaiman, who spoke to our correspondent by phone, confirmed the incident and attributed the pilots’ survival to swift action.

“The incident happened around 4:10 p.m. It landed very close to town but, thank God, the pilots ejected safely,” he said.

Describing the tense moments after the crash, he added: “We heard a noisy landing, a loud crash. Everybody ran. We were scared. But when we realised the pilots were safe, people started trooping back to the scene.”

Two videos obtained by this newspaper show the jet burning intensely, with thick smoke rising from the wreckage as villagers watched from a distance.

As of press time, the Nigerian Air Force had not released any official statement regarding the cause of the crash or the condition of the pilots.