The Nigerian military yesterday, intercepted a
Russian aircraft laden with large caches of
arms and ammunitions at the Aminu Kano
International Airport, Kano State.
Top military sources revealed that the plane
was bound for neighbouring Chad Republic.
The aircraft, billed for N'djamena, the capital
of Chad, was said to have landed in Kano
airport at about 2am Nigerian time.
The plane had been travelling from Bangui,
the capital of Central African Republic, to the
Chadian capital N'Djamena but was forced to
make an emergency landing in Kano because
N'Djamena airport was closed, a security
source said.
All crew members of the aircraft are under
detention by Nigerian forces.
He said after the five crew members were
detained, inspectors found two helicopters, a
bullet-proof jeep and boxes of what were
suspected to be military hardware.
Meanwhile, the Defence Headquarters said it
is still investigating the motive and
destination of the Russian Antonov cargo
plane earlier intercepted at Mallam Aminu
Kano International Airport in Kano.
A statement issued by through PR Nigeria
yesterday said military investigators have
found a huge cache of weapons and a
helicopter tucked inside the cargo plane.
The statement further states that the crew
members on board the aircraft are currently
under protective custody.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported
that the plane was transporting a large cache
of AK47s and bullet proof vests, and other
items.
"Security has since been beefed up at the
airport in order to ensure proper
investigation," a source told NAN.
The general manager of communication,
Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, FAAN,
Yakubu Datti, confirmed the seizure of the
plane.
He said the pilot sought permission to land at
the airport after the plane developed
problems.
"The plane had a technical problem and the
pilot sought (for) permission to land at the
airport'', he said.
Datti said security agencies had since
commenced investigation into the matter.
The Police spokesperson in Kano, Magaji
Majiya, said details of the arrest could only be
provided by the airport security.
This is the third time since 2009 that a
Russian plane loaded with arms would be
arrested in Kano.
Posted By David Aniemeka
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