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A national tragedy was averted when a chartered aircraft conveying Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu crash-landed on the runway at Ibadan Airport in Oyo State.
Though details of the incident were still sketchy as of the time of this report, it was gathered that it occurred on the night of Friday, November 4, 2023.
Information that filtered in earlier had indicated an actual crash, but further communication revealed that the aircraft crash-landed with the pilot and passengers on board all coming out alive.
It, however, remains unknown if the minister and others on board the private jet sustained any injury in the incident.
Adelabu, who hails from Oyo State, was reportedly returning to his base for the weekend after participating in a three-day cabinet retreat, which came to a close in Abuja on Friday.
The ill-fated jet, an HS 125 with the registration number 5N-AMM and operated by Flint Aero, had an initial contact with the control towers at 18:56 seeking an extension, which was granted by the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), per Daily Trust source.
The source added that the aircraft landed short of the threshold and with about 50 metres and skidded into a bushy ditch close to the runway.
Despite being informed of the incident, the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has yet to issue a statement as of press time.
A spokesperson with NSIB, Tunji Oketunmbi, however, said that investigators from the bureau were in Ibadan for on-ground assessment to ascertain the immediate and remote cause of the incident.