Stop gloating over missing Nigerian Air Force Jet, Lai Mohammed tells Nigerians

The Nigerian government has criticized what it calls “unpatriotic” celebrations by some Nigerians over the missing Nigerian Air Force (NAF) fighter jet in Borno State on March 31.

At a press conference on Tuesday in Abuja, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, chastised those who were enraged by the incident and appealed for help from the military.

“I’ve seen some dead-enders gloating over the disappearance of the NAF planes, particularly on social media.

“This is abhorrent and condemnable, and couldn’t have come from true-born Nigerians.

No patriotic citizen will denigrate his or her country’s military for fighting to protect the nation’s territorial integrity and ensuring peace and security. None,’’ he said.

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All Nigerians, the minister said, should help the troops and remember them in their prayers. The disappearance of the fighter jet, he said, was a confirmation of the military’s sacrifices for the nation.

“While we wait for news from the Air Force on the ongoing search and rescue operations, this development has once again highlighted the tremendous sacrifices made by our men and women in uniform to keep our country secure and ensure we get a good night’s sleep.

“Every day, these valiant men and women put their lives on the line, in the ultimate act of sacrifice and patriotism, for the sake of our nation.

There is no assurance that they will return when they leave their homes. Through this, they keep going! This is one of the reasons why, in February 2019, we launched a national campaign to mobilize support for our military and other security forces,” he said.

Mohammed, on behalf of the government, condoled with the NAF on the loss of the fighter jet involved in the war against insurgency.

NAF had reported that the fighter jet lost contact in Borno state while on a mission to support ground troops.

The Boko Haram terrorists had released a video claiming they shot down the jet. The Airforce had, however, negated the claim by the terrorists contending that the video was doctored.

The Air Force Spokesman, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet had said in a statement that the Alpha-Jet lost contact with radar in Borno “while on interdiction mission in support of ground troops.”

He said the plane which had two crew members might have crashed, stressing that search and rescue efforts are ongoing. “At this point, the NAF is not ruling out anything regarding the incident. It however remains hopeful that the crew would soon be found and rescued,” it said in a statement.