The Minority Caucus in the House of Representatives has expressed shock over the plane crash that claimed the lives of the Chief of Army Staff, (COAS), Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru and 10 others.
Rep. Ndudi Elumelu, the House Minority Leader, said this in a statement issued to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Abuja.
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“The Minority caucus is grief-stricken by this huge tragedy which has befallen our dear nation and we demand a full-scale investigation into the unfortunate incident,” he said.
The statement described Attahiru, other officers and crew members as courageous and patriotic soldiers and citizens of Nigeria, who gave all in the defence of “their fatherland.”
He charged the military not to be weighed down by the tragic event, but to remain focused and undeterred so as to ensure that the heroes did not die in vain.
“Our caucus calls for a system-wide investigation into the cause of the crash as well as the last two crashes of our military planes which also led to the loss of lives of our gallant and promising officers.
“As representatives of the people, we stand with the Army, the entire military as well as the families of the Chief of Army Staff and others that lost their lives in the crash.
“We also stand with other gallant officers and men who have paid the supreme price in service to secure our nation.
“Our caucus prays to God to console them at this hour of grief.”
He urged the Federal Government to take urgent steps to ensure the safety of fighting men and women, who were daily putting their lives on the line for the security of the nation.