Nigeria Air Force pilot dies after Independence Day rehearsal crash

The Nigeria Air Force has confirmed the death of one of the pilots who ejected from one of the two NAF jets that crashed on Friday.

The Air Force spokesman Ibikunle Daramola confirmed the death of the pilot in a tweet on the Force’s official Twitter account.

“It is with a heavy heart that I regretfully announce that one of the pilots who successfully ejected from one of the F-7Ni aircraft that crashed earlier today has passed on. May his soul RIP. Additional details on the incident will be communicated later.”

Hours after the crash the details of the officer pilot was revealed as Squadron Leader M.B. Babari from Makurdi Air Force base while the other survivors were identified Squadron Leader Batuba and Flight Lieutenant Andy, also from the same base.

The NAF pilots were rehearsing for Nigeria’s October 1 Independence Day air parade before the two F-7Ni aircrafts collided and crashed on Mpape hill in Abuja.

Meanwhile, a photojournalist with The Guardian, Philip Ojisua, who was the first journalist to get to the scene of the crash site, was physically assaulted by officers of the Force for taking pictures of the wreckage.