Crash: Victims list released, Buhari says army chief death, others mortal blow

President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed shock and sorrow over the death of Chief of Army Staff, Ibrahim Attahiru, and other officers in a military plane crash that occurred in Kaduna on Friday, describing it as a mortal blow to the nation.
The military aircraft crashed on Friday evening near the Kaduna airport runway. Attahiru and 10 other officers were in the plane. He was said to be on his way to Kaduna to attend a passing-out parade of army recruits scheduled for Saturday.
The army said all the 11 officers aboard the ill-fated aircraft died.
A statement by a presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina, said, “President Muhammadu Buhari is deeply saddened over the air crash that claimed the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, and other military officers,” the statement reads.
“The President condoles with families of the deceased, the military, and Nigerians in general, describing them as ‘heroes who paid the ultimate price for peace and security in the land.’
“While praying that God receives the souls of the patriots, the President says the crash ‘is one mortal blow to our underbelly, at a time our armed forces are poised to end the security challenges facing the country.’”

Bashir Ahmad, personal assistant to President Buhari on new media, shared a list of deceased officers on Twitter.
They are:
Lt. Gen. I. Attahiru
Brig Gen. M.I. Abdulkadir
Brig. Gen. Olayinka
Brig. Gen. Kuliya
Maj. L.A. Hay at
Maj. Hamza
Sgt. Umar
The crew members of the aircraft were given as:
Flt. Lt. T.O. Asaniyi
Flt. Lt. A.A. Olufade
Sgt. Adesina
ACM Oyedepo
Kaduna State Government also expressed shock over the death of the officers.
A statement by Samuel Aruwan, the state Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, read in part, “The Kaduna State Government has received with immense sadness news of the death of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, and other senior military officers in a plane crash which occurred in Kaduna on Friday evening.
“Governor Nasir El-Rufai said that Lt. Gen. Attahiru was a shining star whose sudden death has robbed Nigeria of an officer striving to bring new drive to secure the country against terrorists and other threats to national security.
“The governor said the news of General Attahiru’s death has left him deeply shaken, with a sense of great personal loss, coming so soon after his appointment had brought immense pride and a sense of hope to the people of Kaduna State.”