Olawale Rasheed, the governor of Osun State’s spokesperson, stated on Sunday that Governor Ademola Adeleke and a few of his staff had nearly avoided an airplane disaster.
Rasheed claimed that the governor was being transported in a plane that may have had its engine tampered with.
An airplane carrying Adeleke and some of its advisers reportedly came dangerously close to crashing on September 5 as it tried to take off from Lagos for a trip to Abuja. Rasheed confirmed the report in a statement on Sunday and added that preliminary findings from the internal investigation suggested the possibility of sabotage.
Rasheed added that the plane had the best technical staff and was never left idle so that birds could establish nests.
The statement said, “Contrary to the assertion by the hanger owner that birds’ nests caused the tragedy, birds’ nests are formed with straws not bid wires as in this case.
“The near-fatal incident was avoided immediately after boarding and less than two minutes after the start of tarmac taxing.
The pilots promptly ordered the passengers to evacuate after hearing an early warning noise from the engines. Everything happened in a matter of minutes.
“Early findings from the internal probe suggested sabotage. However, both national and international agencies are still looking into the situation.
He did, however, reassure the public that Adeleke and his assistants were safe because there were no injuries or external explosions on the aircraft.
In the interim, a full inquiry into this occurrence has been launched by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and the Nigeria Safety inquiry Bureau.
Capt. Musa Nuhu, the NCAA’s director general, made this information public on Sunday.
Today’s incident happened at the Lagos airport as the plane was supposed to fly Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke and his entourage to Abuja.
A full-fledged inquiry into the incident has since started, according to a portion of the statement.
“While expressing relief that the incident came to an end without any injuries, the Honourable Minister, Mr. Festus Keyamo, SAN, assured that the NCAA’s findings and recommendations would be carried out in accordance with Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations and international best practices.”
