Boko Haram claims responsibility for missing NAF jet, releases video of killed pilot
The Abubakar Shekau-led faction of Boko Haram, Jama’atu Ahlussunnah Lidda’awati Wal Jihad, has released a footage of it shooting down the missing Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Alpha Jet Aircraft.
The jet had on Wednesday evening lost contact with radar in Borno state.
The aircraft was on a mission to provide support for troops on the ground fighting Boko Haram insurgents.
Edward Gabkwet, the NAF spokesperson, in a statement on Friday, said the whereabouts of the two flying officers piloting the jet were unknown.
Boko Haram in a video released on Friday claimed its members shot down the jet.
According to HumAngle, the group also showed fighters carrying RPG and artillery equipment, as well as a corpse of the pilot and the aircraft’s debris.
In February, an aircraft of the Air Force crashed at the Abuja airport — with all seven personnel on board dead.
The development could mean the terrorist group now has anti-aircraft guns strong enough to down Nigeria’s fighter jets.
It could also explain why President Muhammadu Buhari, weeks ago, imposed a no-fly zone on Zamfara
