11 persons escape death as plane crashes at Kano Airport

By : Murtala Adewale

Date: 14 December 2025 1:29pm WAT

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Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano State. Photo/Twitter/FAAN_Official

Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano State. Photo/Twitter/FAAN_Official

No fewer than 11 persons narrowly escaped death as a private jet crash-landed at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, on Sunday morning.

The occupants, including passengers and cabin crew, were safely evacuated amid an intense atmosphere, eyewitnesses told The Guardian.

The private jet, owned by Flybird Aviation, crash-landed at about 9:30 a.m. while approaching Kano Airport en route to Abuja.

The incident attracted urgent attention, with emergency staff and other stakeholders converging at the runway to render rescue operations.

The management of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) is yet to release an official statement on the incident. Unofficial sources disclosed that the passengers have been taken to an unknown destination.

Recall that several aircraft incidents have occurred at Kano Airport, with several lives lost.

The last incident occurred in May 2002, when an EAS Airline aircraft departed the runway at Aminu Kano International Airport at 1:29 p.m. local time en route to Lagos.

Shortly after takeoff, the aircraft developed engine problems and crashed into a residential area of Gwammaja, approximately 1.5 miles from Aminu Kano Airport. At least 73 people on the ground lost their lives.

The Guardian reports that on Thursday, May 23, 2025, two individuals sustained serious injuries when a training aircraft crash-landed at Ilorin International Airport. The incident occurred at 17:28 local time during a simulated instrument approach on Runway 05, the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) reported.

Director of Public Affairs and Family Assistance at NSIB, Mrs Bimbo Oladeji, stated that the aircraft veered off the runway and came to rest on the grass verge, resulting in injuries to both occupants.

“Both sustained serious injuries and were swiftly evacuated to a medical facility, coordinated by the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA),” she said.

Oladeji added that NSIB has dispatched a Go-Team from Abuja to Ilorin to conduct on-site investigations. The team will secure the site, collect physical evidence, interview witnesses, and retrieve operational data to determine the cause and contributing factors of the incident.

Quoting the Director General of NSIB, Captain Alex Badeh Jr, Oladeji said, “Our thoughts are with the injured, and we commend the swift medical and emergency response. Now, our focus is on understanding exactly what went wrong. Every investigation is an opportunity to improve safety. We are deploying our team to Ilorin to ensure that no detail is overlooked.”

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