A Nigerian Air Force (NAF) aircraft has reportedly crashed near Karabonde in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State.

The incident was first reported by Niger State–based digital broadcaster Lapai TV, which announced via its official Facebook page that two NAF pilots survived an Alpha Jet crash close to Karabonde. The post was accompanied by a 57-second video from the scene.

An eyewitness, who shared a 48-second voice note and a 59-second video with PUNCH Online, confirmed that the pilots ejected moments before the aircraft went down.

According to him, the jet is believed to have taken off from the Kainji Air Force Base before the crash occurred.

“We learnt that the Air Force is mobilising to the crash site,” the eyewitness added.

A villager identified as Lukman Sulaiman also confirmed the incident during a phone conversation with PUNCH Online.

“The incident happened around 4:10 pm. It landed very close to town but, God so good, the pilots ejected safely,” he said.

When asked about the condition of the pilots, he replied:

“Yes, we heard a noisy landing crash. We were scared. But we eventually started trooping back to the scene.”

Two videos obtained by PUNCH Online show the aircraft completely engulfed in flames at the crash site.

As of the time of filing this report, the Nigerian military has not issued an official statement regarding the incident.

More details to follow…