BY VICTOR BUORO, ABUJA – Sequel to the fracas between some Nigerian Air Force (NAF) personnel and some youths at Mabera Area of Sokoto Metropolis on Sunday, October 20, 2019, which led to the death of two persons, the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, on Thursday dispatched a high powered delegation led by the Air Officer Commanding Tactical Air Command (AOC TAC), Air Vice Marshal Charles Ohwo, to undertake a fact finding mission.
The team is to also pay condolence visits to the families of the deceased as well as the Governor of the State.
A statement by the Director of Public Relations and Information, Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola said that in line with the CAS’ directive, the AOC TAC paid a condolence visit to the Governor of Sokoto State, Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, while the Commander 119 FOB visited the families of the deceased.
Daramola said that based on the directives of the NAF headquarters, the AOC has also constituted an independent Board of Inquiry (BOI), comprising officers from outside Sokoto State, to investigate the remote and immediate causes of the fracas with a view to determining the level of culpability of NAF personnel, who have since been placed on close arrest.
The NAF spokesman expressed regrets at the loss of lives and injury to civilians occasioned by the unfortunate incident, which also left some NAF personnel with severe injuries.
Daramola said; “We once more express our sincere condolences to the families of the deceased and extend our sympathies to those injured in the fracas. We wish to state unequivocally that no stone will be left unturned to unravel the circumstances that led to the unfortunate loss of lives.
“The NAF, as a highly disciplined and professional force, wishes to reiterate that it does not tolerate or condone acts of indiscipline or violation of human rights of citizens. We wish to assure members of the public that, in line with the NAF’s established procedures, this case will be thoroughly investigated and appropriate action taken to punish any NAF personnel found culpable, while addressing the root causes in order to avoid a reoccurrence.”
Daramola assured that the public will be kept abreast of the outcome of the investigation.
