Air Force Plane Crash: How Joy of Toddler’s Family Turned Sour
Barely three weeks after the Ajane family's euphoria over the birth of their twins, they have lost their first and only son, Jesse.
The four-year-old toddler was one of the seven victims of the ill-fated Abuja-bound Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Donnier-228 aircraft, which crashed last Saturday, minutes after it took off in Kaduna.
But for the summer holiday, the toddler would have been with his family in Abuja instead of being in Kaduna.
The victim was said to have gone to Kaduna to spend the holiday with his maternal aunt (late Hassana Usman who also died in the crash) and was on his way back home when he died in transit.
THISDAY on Monday exclusively reported that a toddler was one of the victims of the crash alongside two NAF pilots, an air hostess, a technician, and two wives of NAF personnel.
Born to Gabriel and Hadiza Ajane, the child died alongside Squadron Leader Adekunle Suara, a flight instructor at the NAF 301 Flying School, in Kaduna and the co-pilot, Flying Officer Kehinde Oluwatosin Olaniran.
The other victims were identified as Aircraft Woman Naomi Adekunle, the air hostess; Warrant Officer Etim, the technician on the flight; Mrs. N. S. Hassan, wife of Wing Commander N. S. Hassan and Hassana Musa, wife of Wing Commander I. B. Musa.
The distraught father on his Facebook page yesterday updated his profile by using his son’s photograph.
He had announced the birth of his twin babies on August 3 and was heralded with congratulatory messages from friends and relatives.
However, the tone of the messages from friends and relatives were different yesterday as there was a deluge of condolences on his Facebook wall.
A source said the loss was taking its toll on the family.
He revealed that the family members were saddened beyond words over the death of not just little Jesse but Hassana, a blow he said would be very difficult to overcome.