Boko Haram members: claim responsibility for downing missing NAF Alpha jet

Ayorinde Oluokun/Abuja

Insurgent group Boko Haram on Friday claimed responsibility for bringing a Nigerian Air Force Alpha jet that has been declared missing since last Wednesday evening.

The fighter plane was declared missing by the Air Force after it lost contact with the radar during an operation against Boko Haram in Borno state.

But in the trending video on Friday, Boko Haram indicated that it fired at the Alpha Jet midair and successfully brought it down.

In the video, persons suspected to be members of the terrorist group were also seen carrying a corpse, purportedly that of one of the two pilots of the missing jet.

The video footage also showed Boko Haram fighters wielding RPG and other artillery equipment purportedly used to bring down the jet

Earlier on Friday, the Air Force had said the aircraft may have crashed while the whereabouts of the pilot remained unknown.

However, the Air Force has not reacted to the Boko Haram video.