The Abubakar Shekau faction of Boko Haram claims it gunned down the Alpha attack aircraft belonging to the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) declared missing recently.
HumAngle, an online news portal, said the terrorists in a video clip they released on Friday, confirmed gunning down the aircraft which lost radar contact Wednesday after flying low over a battlefield while aiding ground troops in Borno, one of the stronghold of the terrorists.
The insurgents were reportedly seen in the over three minutes clip opening fierce firepower on the attack jet before it exploded and headed rapidly towards the ground, killing its occupants.
Earlier today, the Air Force Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, revealed the identities of the pilots as Flight Lieutenant John Abolarinwa and Flight Lieutenant Ebiakpo Chapele.
“At this point, the NAF is not ruling out anything regarding the incident. It however remains hopeful that the crew would soon be found and rescued,” he had said before the Boko Haram’s video surfaced.
