NAF: Benue Helicopter Landing Was Precautionary, Not a Fault

The Nigerian Air Force says a helicopter that landed on farmland in Benue State on Wednesday made a precautionary landing after a mission against suspected kidnappers. Eyewitnesses had said a technical fault forced the crew down.

A resident, Stephen Ikpam, reported from the scene that the helicopter came down on farmland in Utur Tse-Igboji community, Bar Council Ward, along the Welfare Quarters to Mopol 13 Ring Road in Makurdi on Wednesday, October 7. He said the crew guided it to an open field after what he described as a technical fault and that everyone on board survived. Residents rushed to help, and military personnel later secured the area. Early reports noted that the helicopter's type, the number of people on board and the cause had not been confirmed.

In a statement, the Air Force's Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, said the helicopter had flown close air support for ground troops in an operation against suspected kidnappers in Ogbadigbo Local Government Area, near the Enugu-Benue boundary. He said the strike disrupted the suspects' activities and supported the troops' advance.

After the mission, the statement says, the pilot used his professional discretion on the way back to base to make a precautionary landing about 10 nautical miles from the airfield. The Air Force said this follows standard procedure after combat missions and that the helicopter has since returned to base. One outlet describes the statement as a denial of reports that the landing was caused by a technical fault.

The Air Force did not give the helicopter's type, the number of personnel on board or the exact landing spot, and it did not directly address the eyewitness account of a mechanical problem. Nothing in the reports reviewed explains how the landing site named by witnesses fits with the statement, and 247NewsCheck will not guess.

The landing came two days after a Nigerian Air Force ATR 42 crashed near Igbokoda, Ondo State, on Monday, killing 25 people. The two incidents are separate, and nothing in the reports links them. The Air Force said it will keep up pressure on criminal groups and keep providing close air support to ground forces.

Readers can expect further statements from the Air Force and possibly from local authorities in Benue. 247NewsCheck will update this report when more details are confirmed.

Source and attribution: This 247NewsCheck report is based on statements by the Nigerian Air Force and on eyewitness accounts reported by Naija News, TVC News, Century Newspaper and other outlets. The information is attributed to those sources and is not independent reporting by 247NewsCheck from the scene.