Nine months after NAF 475, an Alpha jet belonging to the Nigerian Air Force, went missing with John Abolarinwa and Ebiakpo Chapele, the two pilots on board, the force is yet to brief Nigerians on its investigation into the strange incident.

The aircraft went missing on March 31, after losing radar contact with an air force base in Maiduguri, the capital of  Borno State. But two days later, Abubakar Shekau’s Boko Haram faction released a video claiming it brought it down.

 READ MORE: Two Months after, NAF Yet to Reveal Cause or Location of Alpha Jet Crash

Edward Gabkwet, the NAF spokesperson, refuted the insurgents’ claim. He said, “It is obvious that the Boko Haram sect, in its characteristic manner of employing false propaganda, is seeking to claim credit for what was obviously an air accident that could have been caused by several other reasons, particularly at a time when the capability of the group to inflict mayhem has been significantly degraded by the Armed Forces of Nigeria,” Gabkwet said.

Meanwhile, in the Boko Haram video, the ruins of an aircraft named NAF 475 is seen alongside what looks like the body of a military officer in camouflage. A masked officer also says the ambushed aircraft is the ‘jet fighter of the Nigerian Air Force 475’. He goes on to describe the death of the pilot as an act of God in defence of his servants to whom he was sent to attack.

READ MORE: ANALYSIS: Boko Haram May be Getting Undeserved Credit for NAF’s Alpha Jet Crash

James Gwani, NAF’s Chief of Training and Operations, representing Isiaka Amao, Chief of Air Staff, in a virtual meeting with newspaper editors in October, said efforts were still on to find the missing fighter jet. The efforts, according to him, were in collaboration with foreign partners.

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“The combat search and rescue for the aircraft brought down in the northeast is still ongoing. It will also interest you to know that we are working with our foreign partners,” James said.

“We have had a series of meetings at the Air Force Headquarters, seeking the support of not only our immediate neighbours, but also our strategic partners in trying to locate where that aircraft went down. The process is ongoing and when the airplane is found, we will tell Nigerians.”