By Lengnan Tobias

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) will continue payment of salaries of personnel who died in the Oct. 5 plane crash involving its ATR 42-500 aircraft, NAF 931.

The Director of Public Relations and Information, NAF, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, said this in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.

Ejodame said the assurance was given during an engagement with the bereaved families on Wednesday, as part of efforts to provide support and keep them informed about the recovery operation and investigation.

He said the Chief of Civil-Military Relations, Air Vice Marshal Edward Gabkwet, who represented the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, conveyed the CAS’s condolences and reaffirmed the service’s solidarity with the families.

“The NAF stands with you, and our thoughts and prayers remain with every family affected by this tragedy,” the CAS said.

He said that the salaries of the deceased personnel would continue to be paid until their death benefits were fully paid to their next of kin.

He said the measure was designed to provide financial stability for dependants while benefits were being processed.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the engagement also provided opportunity to update the families on ongoing recovery operation and investigation.

Aneke explained that the swampy, waterlogged terrain and difficult access to the crash site had presented significant technical and logistical challenges, necessitating dewatering, engineering support and site stabilisation.

He assured the families that NAF would sustain recovery efforts in collaboration with relevant agencies and support thorough, evidence-based investigation.

He stressed that the service would not speculate on cause of the accident until relevant evidence had been properly examined.

Aneke said the engagement was facilitated between the bereaved families and NAF religious leaders, including Christian chaplains and Muslim imams, to provide spiritual guidance and pastoral support.

He added that a consultant psychologist, Prof. Ehize Odigie-Okpataku, provided psychological support through individual interactions and counselling sessions.

“Your grief matters, your questions matter, and the dignity of your loved ones will remain central to our response to this tragedy,” the CAS assured.(NAN)

Edited by Deborah Coker