The spokesperson of the Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, Olawale Rasheed, has raised suspicion of sabotage over the near-crash of the plane that was supposed to convey the governor and some of his aides from Lagos to Abuja.
Newsflash Nigeria reported that the governor had planned to travel on his elder brother,Adedeji Adeleke’s private jet, but the pilot had to abort the flight after detecting a fault in the engine just as the plane was moving on the runway.
Rasheed, however, clarified that contrary to some reports, the engine did not explode, but only made a loud noise that alerted the pilot to stop the plane and evacuate the passengers. He said that everything happened within five minutes and that no one was injured or harmed.
He also questioned the explanation given by the owners of the hangar that a bird nest within the engine caused the fault.
He said that there were strong reasons to believe that the two engines in the aircraft were tampered with. He said that the aircraft was well maintained and equipped with the best technical crew and was not an unused platform where birds could build nests.
He said that an internal investigation revealed evidence of sabotage, but that the authorities, both local and international, were still probing the incident.
He assured the public that Governor Adeleke and his aides were safe and sound. He also expressed the governor’s appreciation to his well-wishers and supporters who have been calling since the incident.
“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.
“We however want to assure the public that Governor Adeleke and his aides are safe and there was no injury or any outward explosion on the plane.
“The Governor expressed his deep appreciation to well-wishers and supporters who have been calling since the report of the incident. Mr Governor is hale and hearty.”
