Hadi Sirika, minister of aviation, has confirmed that a military aircraft, King Air 350 crashed short of Abuja runway on Sunday.
The minister said the King Air 350 which was heading to Minna, Niger state capital, had engine failure.
He said via his Twitter handle that the “A military aircraft King Air 350has just crashed short of our Abuja runway after reporting engine failure en route Minna.
“It appears to be fatal. We should remain calm & wait for the outcome of (an) investigation by the military, while we pray for the departed soul/souls if any.”
A military aircraft King Air 350 has just crashed short of our Abuja runway after reporting engine failure enroute Minna. It appears to be fatal. We should remain calm & wait for the outcome of investigation by the military, while we pray for the departed soul/souls if any.🇳🇬🤲🏽😩
— Hadi Abubakar Sirika, CFR, FRAeS, FNIA (@hadisirika) February 21, 2021
A video of the scene posted online showed residents frantically gathering at the crash site.
The area has been enveloped with thick smoke with rescue efforts ongoing.