Nigerian Air Force has rubbished claims that terror group Boko Haram shot down its Alpha fighter jet. Nigerian authorities had earlier stated that an air force fighter jet recently lost contact in Borno state while on a mission to support ground troops.
Boko Haram had earlier released a video where a plane appeared to have exploded midair. It also revealed the remains of a person who was claimed to be the pilot of the fighter jet.
The downed jet was a French-made Dassault Alpha Jet. The Nigerian Air Force also confirmed the news, saying it lost contact with the aircraft on March 31. The aircraft was on a mission to provide air support for an ongoing ground military operation.
The Alpha Jet is a light attack jet co-manufactured by French Dassault Aviation and German Dornier Flugzeugwerke. It was specifically developed to perform trainer and light attack missions.
The Facebook Post read:
The attention of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has been drawn to some videos being circulated on Social Media, as well as media reports drawn therefrom, alleging that the NAF Alpha Jet aircraft, which was reported missing in Borno State on 31 March 2021 after losing radar contact, was shot down by terrorists.
One of such videos, in particular, began with sporadic shooting by several terrorists, including underaged children on motorcycles and vehicles. It later skipped abruptly to a scene depicting an aircraft exploding mid-air, supposedly as a result of enemy action. Another part of the video showed a terrorist, who, while standing by the wreckage, claimed that they had shot down the NAF aircraft.
Although the video is still being thoroughly analyzed, it is evident that most parts of the video were deliberately doctored to give a false impression that the aircraft was shot down. For instance, the video clip failed to show the correlation between the sporadic shooting, which even from casual observation was obviously aimed at ground targets, and the sudden mid-air aircraft explosion.
In addition, it is almost impossible for an aircraft to have exploded mid-air, in the manner depicted in the video, and still have a good part of its fuselage, including its tail, intact. Indeed, an explosive impact of that nature would have scattered the debris of the aircraft across several miles.
It is obvious that the Boko Haram Sect, in its characteristic manner of employing false propaganda, is seeking to claim credit for what was obviously an air accident that could have been caused by several other reasons; particularly at a time when the capability of the group to inflict mayhem has been significantly degraded by the Armed Forces of Nigeria.
Consequently, Nigerians are please advised to ignore the contents of the videos making the rounds until all investigations as to how the aircraft crashed are completed. The NAF, on its part, remains resolute and will continue to work assiduously, in synergy with sister Services and other security agencies, to rid the North East of all terrorist elements.
