The Taraba State Governor, Danbaba Suntai,
escaped death on Thursday after a plane he was flying crashed in Yola,
the Adamawa State capital.
The Taraba State Governor, Danbaba Suntai
The governor, his aide-de-camp and chief security officer, who were
also in the plane that took off from Jalingo, the Taraba State capital,
and three others, were seriously injured.
Mr Suntai, who graduated as a pilot from the Aviation College in
Zaria last year, was piloting the crashed plane. This would be the
second time he is surviving a plane crash.
The plane, a Cessna 208, 5N-BMJ, owned by the state government,
crashed at about 7.45 pm, near the Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation (NNPC) depot, on the outskirts of Yola.
The governor, who was brought in unconscious, was first taken to Yola
Specialist Hospital for treatment, but was later, moved to the
better-equipped Federal Medical Centre, Yola.
A statement from the Ministry of Aviation said the aircraft had six persons, including the crew on board when it crashed.
It said the aircraft departed Jalingo for Yola and reported contact
with the Yola control tower, but shortly before it landed, the pilot
lost contact with the control tower, while efforts to radio the aircraft
failed.
“A search and rescue was immediately activated and the site of
incident located with all victims alive with various degrees of
injuries. The victims have been evacuated to the hospital for treatment
pending further investigation of the incident,” the statement, signed by
the media aide to the Minister of Aviation, Joe Obi, said.