Terrorists have claimed responsibility for shooting down a Nigeria Air Force surveillance helicopter where over 20 soldiers on board were killed on Monday in the Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State in North-Central Nigeria.
The terrorists, often called bandits by a section of the Nigerian media, made the claim in a viral video on Tuesday, saying they used AK47 rifles to shoot down the MI-171 helicopter.
A voice who was heard in the video speaking in Hausa language, narrated that the group belonged to a notorious terrorist kingpin identified as Dogo Gide, who had been terrorising parts of northern Nigeria, killing farmers, security operatives and kidnapping innocent Nigerians for ransom.
The helicopter, according to the Air Force, was transporting troops earlier wounded in a battle against the terrorists to a military hospital in Kaduna State.
Security sources say a day before the attack, a troop of Nigerian soldiers had been ambushed and many of them killed along the Zungeru-Tegina Road in the state, which prompted the ill fated evacuation mission.
Though the Nigerian Air Force had, in a statement by its spokesman, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, said the helicopter which was on a casualty evacuation mission, had crashed and that investigation had commenced to determine the probable cause of the accident, the terrorists have dismissed the Air Force’s statement by claiming responsibility for the attack.
“A Nigerian Air Force MI-171 Helicopter on a casualty evacuation mission crashed today, 14 August 2023 at about 1.00 pm near Chukuba village in Niger State,” Gabkwet had said.
“The aircraft had departed Zungeru Primary School en route to Kaduna but was later discovered to have crashed near Chukuba village in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State.
“Efforts are currently ongoing to rescue the crew and passengers on board the helicopter, while preliminary investigations have commenced to determine the probable cause of the crash,” he added.