By Bola Bamigbola and Lilian Ukagwu
Spokesperson to the Osun State Governor, Olawale Rasheed on Sunday confirmed that Governor Ademola Adeleke and some of his aides recently narrowly escaped an aircraft crash.
Rasheed alleged that the engine of an aircraft carrying the governor might have been tampered with.
It was reported in a national daily that an aircraft carrying Adeleke and some of its aides nearly crashed on September 5, while attempting to take off from Lagos for a journey to Abuja, and Rasheed in a statement on Sunday confirmed the story, adding that initial reports from the internal investigation indicated the possibility of a sabotage.
Rasheed also said the aircraft was well maintained with the best technical crew and was never an unused platform where birds could build nests.
The statement further read, “Contrary to the claim by the hanger owner that birds’ nests caused the incident, birds’ nests are made with straws not bidding wires as in this case.
“The near-fatal incident was averted shortly after boarding and less than two minutes after commencement of taxing on the tarmac.
“An early warning noise from the engines immediately prompted the pilots to direct evacuation of the passengers. Everything happened within five minutes.
“Early reports from the internal investigation indicated sabotage. But the authorities, locally and internationally, are still investigating the incident.”
He, however, assured the public that Adeleke and his aides were safe as there was no injury or any outward explosion on the plane.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and the Nigeria Safety Investigation Bureau have initiated a thorough investigation into this incident.
The Director General of the NCAA, Capt. Musa Nuhu, disclosed this in a press statement on Sunday.
The incident took place at the Lagos airport earlier today, as the aircraft was scheduled to transport Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State and his team to Abuja.
The statement partly read, “A full-blown investigation of the incident has since commenced.
“While expressing relief that the incident ended without any harm, the Honourable Minister, Mr Festus Keyamo, SAN, assured that the outcome of the NCAA’s investigation and recommendations will be implemented in line with Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations and global best practices.”
Source: The Punch
