The photograph of the two Nigerian Air Force pilots killed when a military aircraft crashed in Kaduna State has been released.
The two pilots, Flight Lieutenants Abubaka Alkali and Karatu who recently graduated from the Nigeria Defence Academy were among military officers who returned from Pakistan in April 2021, following a six-month training in the South-East Asian country.
Sahara Reporters had reported how the training aircraft with the two pilots on board crashed on Tuesday evening.
The aircraft, believed to be a Super Mushak, reportedly crashed within the NAF base while on a training mission.
According to one Amina Yahaya, one of the late pilots was planning to marry her friend in October.
“One of them is Flt Lt Karatu; he was my friend's fiancé; they were going to get married in October. I was going to be a bridesmaid at the wedding,” she posted on Twitter.
“I haven't been able to speak to my friend and I am not anywhere close to even comfort her. It's a different kind of pain.”
It was learnt that the other pilot, Alkali once received an award as the best international cadet from the Royal Air Force in Britain.
The latest development comes a few months after a NAF aircraft crashed in Kaduna.
The incident, which occurred in May 2021, involved a Beechcraft 350, and the aircraft crashed around the Kaduna international airport.
Ibrahim Attahiru, Chief of Army Staff, and 10 other military officers, who were on board when the plane crashed, were killed.