Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke on Sunday alleged that the engine of an aircraft carrying him might have been tampered with.
Last Tuesday, a private jet – Bombadier Global Express 6000 owned by billionaire businessman, Chief Adedeji Adeleke – caught fire at take-off point at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.
Chief Adeleke is the father of Afrobeat superstar, David Adeleke (popularly known as Davido), and is also the brother Governor Adeleke.
On Sunday, spokesperson to the Osun State Governor, Mr. Olawale Rasheed said that initial reports from the internal investigation indicated the possibility of a sabotage.
He also said that the aircraft was well maintained with the best technical crew and was never an unused platform where birds could build nests.
The statement further read: “Contrary to the claim by the hanger owner that birds’ nests caused the incident, birds’ nests are made with straws not bidding wires as in this case.
“The near-fatal incident was averted shortly after boarding and less than two minutes after commencement of taxing on the tarmac.
“An early warning noise from the engines immediately prompted the pilots to direct evacuation of the passengers. Everything happened within five minutes.
“Early reports from the internal investigation indicated sabotage. But the authorities, locally and internationally, are still investigating the incident”.
He, however, assured the public that the governor and his aides were safe as there was no injury or any outward explosion on the plane.
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has said it has initiated a thorough investigation into this incident.
NCAA’s Director General, Captain Musa Nuhu said: “A full-blown investigation of the incident has since commenced.
“While expressing relief that the incident ended without any harm, the Honourable Minister, Mr. Festus Keyamo, SAN, assured that the outcome of the NCAA’s investigation and recommendations will be implemented in line with Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations and global best practices”.
