Abubakar gave the assurance on Wednesday when he visited the families of the deceased crew in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, to commiserate with the families.
The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, has assured the families of the deceased crew of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) MI-171E Helicopter that crashed in Niger State on August 14, of the support of the military.
Abubakar gave the assurance on Wednesday when he visited the families of the deceased crew in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, to commiserate with the families.
According to a statement released by the Director of Public Relations and Information of the Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, the CAS while condoling the families for the painful loss, noted that the loss of the crew was a major setback for the NAF which would take the Service some time to get over.
He went on to assure the families that the NAF would, however, never abandon the families but would always stand by them till the end. "The NAF will always stand with you and support you till the end", he said.
Air Marshal Abubakar assured the families that the sacrifices of the deceased crew would not be in vain as the NAF family, as well as all Nigerians, would forever remember them for giving their lives for the survival of the nation.
He also interacted with the officers and personnel of the unit and during the interactive session, the CAS expressed his condolence to the Unit and appreciated them for their commitment and efforts in the ongoing joint military operations in the Niger Delta.
The NAF boss assured that the sacrifices of the fallen heroes would not be in vain and that the Nigerian Air Force would do everything possible to forestall such occurrences in the future.
Recall that a NAF MI-171E Helicopter on casualty evacuation mission crashed in Niger State on 14 August 2023, killing the entire passengers and 4 NAF crew members on board.
The deceased crew members include Flight Lieutenant Adamu Ibrahim, Flight Lieutenant Anthony Duryumus, Lance Corporal Alaribe Daniel and Lance Corporal Briggs Stephen Peter.
The NAF also noted that two of its Regiment personnel, Corporal Jauro Amos and Lance Corporal Abdulrahman Abubakar, also lost their lives as part of the Nigerian Army personnel who were recently ambushed and killed by terrorists in Niger State.