By Chuks Oyema-Aziken
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has refuted report that the missing NAF Alpha Jet 475 has been found in Bama.
The report in a newspaper (not Authority) claimed that the missing aircraft as well as the body of one of the missing pilots have been found.
NAF in a press release signed by the Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet described the report as not only misleading but absolutely at variance with known ethos of the Journalism profession.
He said the medium never made effort to contact the NAF to verify the story before the said publication.
He therefore urged the general public to disregard the unverified publication on the missing Alpha jet aircraft.
According to the DOPRI “From the day control lost radar contact with the aircraft on 31 March 2021, the NAF as a professional fighting force has been keeping members of the public abreast and updated on the missing aircraft and combined efforts of the NAF and Nigerian Army(NA) search and rescue team to locate the crashed aircraft.
“It is therefore sad and disheartening that such an unverified story could be published without any effort to confirm its veracity from the NAF. It is not in dispute that the media as the watchdog of the society have the right to continually inform the public. It should however be done within the acceptable dictates of the noble journalism profession.
“While search and rescue efforts are being sustained until the wreckage of the aircraft is found, the NAF wishes to reassure the general public that it shall be informed of any update as regards the missing aircraft.
“Members of the press are thus requested to always be circumspect and exercise restraint in their reportage and endeavour to always clarify issues before going to press. The general public should therefore disregard the unverified publication on the missing Alpha jet aircraft by the aforementioned newspaper.”
