Report on ex-COAS plane crash ready next week – AIB

The Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), on Thursday, disclosed that the preliminary report on the plane crash of a military aircraft in which the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, and 10 others who died in Kaduna, May this year would be ready next week.

The Commissioner/Chief Executive Officer of AIB, Akin Olateru, made this known during the release of eight flight accident reports by the bureau at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

Olateru, however, maintained that it was up to the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) to decide on whether it would make public the findings contained in the report, emphasising that it was outside the jurisdiction of the AIB to disclose such information.

After the plane crash, the Nigerian Air Force asked the Accident Investigation Bureau to lead the investigation.

Replying to a question on why the AIB had yet to release the report on the crash on Thursday, Olateru said, “Accident investigation takes time; an average of 18 months. The one you are talking about, recall that it’s a NAF aircraft, but the crash unfortunately happened at the civil airport.

“So, graciously, the NAF felt we could be of assistance and then it commissioned us to assist in the investigation, which is ongoing, and whether the NAF makes the report public or not is not our call.

“This is because it is not under the purview of the AIB. But within the next one week, the preliminary report will be ready.”