Buhari mourns NAF pilots killed in Kaduna air crash

President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed sadness over the death of two Nigerian Air Force (NAF) pilots in a plane crash on Tuesday in Kaduna.

The President’s media aide, Malam Garba Shehu, in a statement on Wednesday night in Abuja, said the president made his feelings known while reacting to the death of the two pilots, Abubakar Alkali and Elijah Haruna Karatu.

“I am shocked beyond words by the demise of these two promising young men who risked their lives in the service of the country.

“There is no reward big enough to pay for the services of these young and dedicated professional airmen in the service of their country,” the president said.

While extending his sympathies to the Chief of Air Staff and the families of the deceased, Buhari called for “more safety measures to forestall tragic incidents of this kind.”

The president, who welcomed the decision of the NAF authorities to investigate the cause of the crash, called for the publication and implementation of the recommendations of reports of past investigations into air crashes.

He said the publication and implementation of the reports would help to prevent future tragedies and also assist families and friends of the deceased to put a closure to the tragic incidents, he added.