The leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari treat military plane crashes as national emergency.

CAN has also called for thorough investigations into the causes of the ill-fated military King Air 350 aircraft that crashed last Friday, near Kaduna Airport.

This is coming as the Youth Wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria (YOWICAN) yesterday announced the declaration of three days’ national mourning for the death of those it described “our heroes” who died during the ill-fated military plane crash in Kaduna.

CAN has also expressed concerns at the spate of military plane crashes in the country, while urging Buhari to treat the matter as a national emergency to stop bright minds in the military from dying avoidable deaths.

The association also called on the international community to come to the aid of the country to end the menace of insecurity before terrorists and bandits terrorists take over the country or turn it into a battle ground.

It said the investigations should also be conducted into the other military plane crashes that had occurred in recent times with a view to ascertaining the immediate and remote causes of these recurrent disasters and address the causes decisively and squarely.

While commiserating with Buhari, the military high command, the security chiefs, and the immediate and extended families of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Ibrahim Attahiru and other officers who were killed while on board of the ill-fated military plane crash, CAN said the country cannot continue to lose the finest military and security officers to air disasters without doing anything to stop it.

In a statement issued yesterday by its National Secretary, Rev. Daramola Bade Joseph, the Christian body said it was genuinely concerned about the situation and felt that adequate measures should be taken so as to avert this kind of tragedy both in our military and civil aviation in the future.

According to reports, Nigeria had four King Air 350 namely: NAF 201, NAF 202, NAF 203 and NAF 204. Sometimes in February this year, NAF 201 crashed in Abuja and killed all the eight Air Force crew men on board. We also reliably learnt that this was the third military air disaster in the space of three months.

If these reports are true, then it is high time thorough investigations are carried out with a view to ascertaining the immediate and remote causes of these recurrent disasters and address the causes decisively and squarely. We cannot continue to lose our finest military and security officers to air disasters without treating the situation as a national emergency,

it said.

In a related development, the Youth Wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria (YOWICAN) has declared three days’ national mourning over the death of those it described “our heroes” who died during the ill-fated military plane crash in Kaduna.

The youth organisation also demanded an inquest and investigation into the series of crashes involving NAF aircraft and helicopters.

In statement issued yesterday, the National Chairman of YOWICAN, Belusochukwu Enwere, said the association declared three days’ national mourning with effect from yesterday.

His statement reads:

The entire Christian Youths in Nigeria are grieved by the death of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Ibrahim Attahiru and other military officers.

Attahiru and the other officers are heroes who gave their lives for the security of our nation. The tragic incident is a colossal loss to Nigeria.

This is a tragedy too much. Our country has passed this stage where military aircraft will crash like that and we call it normal,

he said.

Justin Nwosu

Justin Nwosu is the founder and publisher of Flavision. His core interest is in writing unbiased news about Nigeria in particular and Africa in general. He’s a strong adherent of investigative journalism, with a bent on exposing corruption, abuse of power and societal ills.