By Sandra Kenneth
A Nigerian Air Force (NAF) helicopter carried out a precautionary landing on farmland in Benue State after completing a close air support mission against suspected kidnappers.
The incident took place in the Utur Tse-Igboji community of Makurdi, where local residents witnessed the military aircraft touch down. The helicopter had been supporting ground forces in an operation targeting criminal groups in the Ogbadigbo Local Government Area, near the Enugu-Benue border.
In an official statement released on Wednesday, NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Ehimen Ejodame, confirmed that the joint operation successfully disrupted the kidnapping network and enabled ground troops to advance.
Ejodame clarified that the aircraft did not experience an emergency, emphasizing that the landing was a routine safety measure exercised by the crew on their return to base.
“Following the successful completion of the mission, the pilot, on return to base, exercised his professional discretion to execute a precautionary landing approximately 10 nautical miles from the airfield,” Ejodame stated, noting that the decision aligned with standard operating procedures for combat flights. The helicopter has since safely returned to base.
The Benue landing follows a fatal NAF crash days earlier in Igbokoda, Ondo State, where an ATR-42 aircraft carrying 25 passengers and seven crew members crashed into a swamp. Air Force authorities confirmed there were no survivors from that incident, prompting President Bola Tinubu to declare three days of national mourning.
