Chief of Air staff honours victims of Air crash at burial service

By Oluchi Ihediuche

The Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Oladayo Amao, has vowed to relentlessly expose and fight all agents of destabilisation and extremism in the society to ensure that departed colleagues did not die in vain.
The bodies of the crash were buried today with full Military honours and the traditional 21 gunshot salute.
The Chief of Air Staff in his address, described the deceased officers as courageous heroes in whom the Force had so much confidence. He assured that Nigerian Air Force will throw in everything to ensure that the deceased officers did not die in vain.
”the loss of these confident, courageous and professional young officers and airmen must spur the rest of us not only to rededicate ourselves to the service of our Nation, but also to resolve that we shall relentlessly expose and fight all agents of destabilisation and extremism in our society. We must throw everything that we have into this fight, to ensure that our departed colleagues did not die in vain.”
“the untimely death of these very promising gentlemen occurred on Sunday, 21 February 21 in Abuja while they were on active duty in service to our Fatherland. I must confess that, even at this moment, the Nigerian Air Force is still in palpable shock and grieving very deeply upon this loss of our gallant and courageous heroes, in whom we had so much confidence, with our expectations now suddenly and painfully cut short.
“We salute the supreme sacrifice of these young men, whose lot it became to give their lives in the defence of the peace which we all enjoy and often take for granted. These intelligent and disciplined young officers and airmen flew their quota of ongoing surveillance missions in the North East, North West and more recently in the North Central over Niger State and its environs in connection with the concerted efforts to secure the release of the staff and students abducted from the Government Science College Kagara, Niger State.”
“as we resolve to rededicate ourselves to the cause of defending our Great Nation, let me at this juncture restate our profound commitment and unalloyed loyalty to the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR, as he continues to lead the Nation’s collective effort at tackling the challenges bedevilling our national security.

“To the families of our deceased brothers, our prayers are with you at this time, as also those of people from everywhere, both within and outside the country. The overwhelming show of love, solidarity and support from everyone is a clear indication that the Nation, and indeed the entire Globe, shares in this grief with you.
“This was evident in the volume of condolence messages and visits from a wide range of personalities including the President, Commander-in-Chief, leadership of the National Assembly, Governors, Ministers, members of the Diplomatic Corp as well as many other prominent Nigerians. I therefore encourage you to be consoled by the knowledge that the entire Nation grieves with you on the loss of these shining, amiable and patriotic Nigerians who have laid down their lives in the service of their Fatherland.
Victims were Flight Lieutenant Haruna Gadzama (Captain), Flight Lieutenant Henry Piyo (Co-Pilot), Flying Officer Micheal Okpara (Airborne Tactical Observation System (ATOS) Specialist) and Warrant Officer Bassey Etim (ATOS Specialist), Flight Sergeant Olasunkanmi Olawunmi (ATOS Specialist), Sergeant Ugochukwu Oluka (ATOS Specialist), and Aircraftman Adewale Johnson (Onboard Technician).

Oluchi Ihediuche