Nigerian Air Force don clarify wetin happen to one T-129 ATAK attack helicopter wey make wetin dem call ‘precautionary landing’ for farm land inside Makurdi, Benue State, on Wednesday. Di clarification follow reports from residents wey talk say di attack helicopter make emergency landing for di area, and some of dem blame technical fault.
Photographs wey SaharaReporters see show di helicopter, with tail number NAF 503, tilted and stuck inside soft farmland for Utur Tse-Igboji community, Bar Council Ward, along Welfare Quarters-Mopol 13 Ring Road inside di city. Di photos dey contradict di claim by Air Force authorities say di aircraft make precautionary landing for a community.
NAF yarn for statement wey its Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, issue on Wednesday: ‘A military helicopter made a precautionary landing in Makurdi on Wednesday after providing close air support to ground troops during an operation targeting suspected kidnappers in the Ogbadigbo area, along the Enugu-Benue boundary.’
Ejodame talk say di operation disrupt di activities of suspected kidnappers and support di advance of surface forces. ‘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,’ he add.
He explain say dem carry out di landing in accordance with established operational and safety procedures after combat missions. ‘The helicopter has returned to base,’ di NAF spokesman add.
Earlier, one resident, Stephen Ikpam, don talk say di helicopter land for farmland inside him community of Utur Tse-Igboji. ‘By the grace of God, all lives on board were saved when a Nigerian Air Force helicopter made an emergency landing on our farmland due to a technical fault,’ he talk. ‘We all rushed to the scene to support the officers on board, and to the glory of God, they all came out alive. It would have been a double tragedy if the helicopter had crashed.’
Another resident, Orvendega Job, wey post on Facebook, talk say di aircraft carry two pilots and na patrol e dey when di pilots detect engine fault and turn back. According to him, di pilots later realise say dem no fit safely return to base, so dem decide to land for farmland inside di community. Job also claim say members of di community were prevented from taking photographs or videos.
For di photos wey SaharaReporters see, civilians get unrestricted access to di aircraft. For one photo, a civilian crouch beneath di aircraft to inspect am. Its skid sink inside mud, suggesting say e fit don make forced landing.
Nigeria sign di contract with Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) for Farnborough Air Show in July 2022 under former President Buhari after United States block di sale of AH-1Z Viper helicopters over human rights concerns. Di package, worth $312 million, include six T-129B ATAK Phase-II helicopters, UMTAS anti-tank missiles, CIRIT 70mm laser-guided rockets, 20mm guns, ASELSAN Aselflir-300T targeting system, electronic warfare suite, plus maintenance, spares and training for pilots and engineers. Dis put di unit cost at over $52 million per helicopter. Some analysts put di fly-away cost at $45 million, and $52 million with weapons.
NAF 503 na second-batch aircraft, less than 24 months in service. Factory photos wey leak on X in October 2023 ahead of delivery show di first helicopter clearly marked as NAF 500. Flight tracking show say a Turkish A400M (21-0118) arrive Nigeria on November 1 2023, with di first two helicopters. Dem formally induct dem on February 6 2024, for NAF Base Makurdi as NAF 500 and NAF 501.
Di second batch of two arrive on September 3 2024, aboard Turkish A400M 18-0094 for Tactical Air Command, Makurdi. Military sources confirm say dem register dem as NAF 502 and NAF 503. Di final two arrive in late 2024 as NAF 504 and NAF 505, completing di six-helicopter fleet. All six dey operated by 115 Special Operations Group, Makurdi.
Defence trackers note say NAF repaint factory construction numbers to NAF 500 series after delivery, a common practice to mask operational history. Since induction, di fleet don fly intensive combat missions in Benue, Borno, Zamfara and Niger states. NAF 503 was returning from Ogbadigbo LGA in Benue when e go down.
Di incident come three days after a military aircraft, NAF 931, an ATR-42, crash for Igbokoda, headquarters of Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, on October 5 2026, killing all 25 people on board, comprising 20 passengers and five crew members. That crash prompt heightened public attention to military aviation incidents.
