Friends of Haruna Gadzama, the pilot who flew the ill- fated Air Force plane that crashed in Abuja, have mourned him on social media and shared memories of their late friend.
Flt. Lt. Haruna Gadzama was the pilot of the Nigerian Air Force Beechcraft KingAir B350i plane that crashed near the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on Sunday.
Shortly after the plane crash, a Twitter user identified as @EmmanuelMacdeni took to the microblogging site to say the late Haruna was his friend.
Emmanuel Macden wrote: “my friend was the pilot of this flight, rest well Haruna Gadzama”.
In a series of tweets, another person claiming to be the friend of the late pilot described him as a hero who will be missed forever.
The young woman identified as Ibrahim Mairo said Haruna has the kindest mind and is a caring and loving person who is always ready to go the extra mile for people.
In another tweet, Mairo said she was wearing the workout outfit Haruna gave her and wondered why it was such a coincidence.
See photos of the young woman:
It was earlier reported that the plane was on its way to Minna, Niger State, but shortly after departure it reported an engine failure and quickly crashed near the runway of the Abuja airport.
The Nigerian Air Force said seven staff were on the plane and all of them lost their lives in the crash.
Eyewitnesses said the late pilot was a hero, which they observed how he fought his best to ensure the plane did not crash in a residential area.
Photos of the deceased pilot:
According to the tweet prepared by the Former Junior Pilots Association, they described Haruna as a jovial officer and one of the hardest working officers in the Nigerian Air Force. They said he was a much-appreciated officer by many.
We were able to obtain the names of five of the seven staff members who lost their lives in the accident. And besides Haruna Gadzama, others were- Flt. Lieutenant Piyo, Flt. Offr. Okpara, FS Olawumi, and ACM Johnson.
Many are asking for an investigation into the plane crash, so hopefully, this will be done, so that we know what led to the deaths of these people.
We pray that the soul of Haruna Gadzama and the souls of those who lost their lives in the accident may rest in perfect peace.
Gadzama indeed died a hero. He could have let the plane crash into a residential area and possibly kill several other people and destroy buildings. But even when death stared him in the face, he was doing his best to save lives.
