Ademola Adeleke, governor of Osun State, has stated that the near-crash in which he and some of his aides were engaged may have been caused by tampering with the aircraft’s engines.
On Sunday, the governor confirmed the event in a statement written by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed.
According to Platinum Times, the governor and his aides narrowly avoided an aviation accident on Tuesday, September 5, 2023, when the private jet owned by wealthy industrialist, Chief Adedeji Adeleke, caught fire at the take-off point at Murtala Mohammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja, Lagos.
In response to the accident reports, Rasheed stated that birds could not have built nests on the airplane because it is highly kept.
He said,
“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 the commencement of taxing on the tarmac.
“An early warning noise from the engines immediately prompted the pilots to direct the 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.”
Olawale, while assuring the public that Adeleke and his aides were safe, also expresed appreciation to well wishers and supporters who have been calling since the report of the incident became public knowledge.
Platinum Times gathered that attempts were made to keep the aircraft incident from the public domain