The United States describes the crash as tragic. The U.S Mission in Nigeria has joined the rest of the country in mourning the passing of Chief Of Army Staff, Ibrahim Attahiru and 10 other army chiefs who died when a military aircraft crashed in Kaduna on Friday, May 21, 2021.
Lieutenant General Attahiru and his team were flying to Kaduna from Abuja for an event when their plane crashed.
“We join Nigerians in mourning the tragic loss of life from today’s plane crash. The death of the Chief of @HQNigerianArmy Staff, Lt. Gen Ibrahim Attahiru is a tremendous loss to Nigeria and his loved ones.
“During this difficult time across Nigeria when security and peace are so needed, we offer our deepest sympathy to the family of General Attahiru and to the families of all those who perished,” the statement from the U.S Embassy in Nigeria reads.
President Muhammadu Buhari described the crash as a ‘mortal blow’ to the efforts of the Armed Forces to confront rising insecurity in Nigeria while promising that the officers won’t die in vain.
Attahiru was appointed Army chief in January to replace the retired Tukur Buratai.
He had made numerous promises to improve the military’s effectiveness, especially in the fight against Boko Haram terrorists in the northeast region.
Friday’s crash is the third aircraft of the Air Force that has crashed in the past three months.
