A Nigerian Air Force (NAF) helicopter carried out a precautionary landing on farmland in the Utur Tse-Igboji area of Makurdi, Benue State, on Wednesday morning following an operation against suspected kidnappers.
​The incident occurred at approximately 10:30 a.m. in the Utur Tse-Igboji community, located in the Bar Council Ward along the Welfare Quarters–Mopol 13 Ring Road in Makurdi, roughly 10 nautical miles from the military airfield. All crew members and personnel on board escaped unhurt and were assisted by local residents who gathered at the scene.
​According to an official statement issued on Wednesday by the NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, the aircraft had provided close air support to ground troops targeting criminal elements in the Ogbadigbo Local Government Area of Benue State, near the Enugu-Benue border.
​”The operation disrupted the activities of the criminal elements and supported the advance of surface forces,” Ejodame stated. “Following the successful completion of the mission, the pilot, on return to base, exercised his professional discretion to execute a precautionary landing approximately 10 nautical miles from the airfield.”
​Air Commodore Ejodame highlighted that precautionary landings are executed in accordance with established military operational and safety protocols following combat missions. The Nigerian Air Force confirmed that the aircraft was subsequently secured and has since returned safely to base.
​The NAF reiterated its commitment to sustaining coordinated air and ground operations to neutralise criminal networks and maintain security across the region.
