A video of the pilot of a Nigerian Air Force jet shot down by bandits in Zamfara State, Flight Lieutenant Abayomi Dairo, arriving at the military base where he was received on Monday has emerged.
The pilot, popularly called Aggressor, was shot at between the boundaries of Zamfara and Kaduna States.
The bandits attacked the Alpha Jet flown by Dairo on July 18 2021 at about 12:45pm.
The NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, confirmed the development on Monday.
Gbakwet said: “Using his survival instincts, the pilot, who came under intense ground fire from the bandits, was able to evade them and sought refuge in nearby settlements awaiting sunset.
“Using the cover of darkness and his phone set for navigation, Flight Lieutenant Dairo was able to elude several bandits’ strongholds and maneuvered his way to a Nigerian Army Unit, where he was finally rescued.”
According to him, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, had directed that all efforts must be emplaced to rescue the pilot.
“Accordingly, NAF Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance (ISR) platforms and helicopter gunships provided close air support to NAF Special Forces and Nigerian Army troops who were able to locate the crash site and the pilot’s parachute, while also combing nearby locations for any sign of the pilot,” Gabkwet added.
https://youtu.be/rqsC8v6DmlU