The Nigerian Air Force T-129 ATAK attack helicopter that made a ‘precautionary landing’ on farmland in Makurdi, Benue State, on Wednesday was one of six combat helicopters acquired by the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari in a deal valued at about $312 million, or more than $52 million per helicopter.
Photographs obtained by SaharaReporters showed the helicopter, with tail number NAF 503, tilted and stuck in soft farmland at Utur Tse-Igboji community, Bar Council Ward, along the Welfare Quarters-Mopol 13 Ring Road in the city.
The photos contradict the claim by the Air Force authorities that the aircraft made a precautionary landing in a community.
The clarification followed reports by residents that the attack helicopter had made an emergency landing in the area, with some attributing the incident to a technical fault.
“A military helicopter made a precautionary landing in Makurdi on Wednesday after providing close air support to ground troops during an operation targeting suspected kidnappers in the Ogbadigbo area, along the Enugu-Benue boundary,” NAF said in a statement issued on Wednesday by its Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame.
Ejodame said the operation disrupted the activities of the suspected kidnappers and supported the advance of surface forces.
“Following the successful completion of the mission, the pilot, on return to base, exercised his professional discretion to execute a precautionary landing approximately 10 nautical miles from the airfield,” he added.
He explained that the landing was carried out in accordance with established operational and safety procedures following combat missions.
“The helicopter has returned to base,” the NAF spokesman added.
Earlier, a resident, Stephen Ikpam, had said the helicopter landed on farmland in his community of Utur Tse-Igboji.
“By the grace of God, all lives on board were saved when a Nigerian Air Force helicopter made an emergency landing on our farmland due to a technical fault,” he said.
“We all rushed to the scene to support the officers on board, and to the glory of God, they all came out alive. It would have been a double tragedy if the helicopter had crashed.”
Another resident, Orvendega Job, who posted on Facebook, said the aircraft was carrying two pilots and was on patrol when the pilots detected an engine fault and turned back.
According to him, the pilots later realised they could not safely return to base and decided to land on farmland in the community. Job also claimed that members of the community were prevented from taking photographs or videos.
In the photos seen by SaharaReporters, civilians had unrestricted access to the aircraft.
In one photo, a civilian crouches beneath the aircraft to inspect it. Its skid is sunk in the mud, suggesting it may have made a forced landing.
Nigeria signed the contract with Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) at the Farnborough Air Show in July 2022 under former President Buhari after the United States blocked the sale of AH-1Z Viper helicopters over human rights concerns.
The package, worth $312 million, includes six T-129B ATAK Phase-II helicopters, UMTAS anti-tank missiles, CIRIT 70mm laser-guided rockets, 20mm guns, ASELSAN Aselflir-300T targeting system, electronic warfare suite, plus maintenance, spares and training for pilots and engineers.
This puts the unit cost at over $52 million per helicopter. Some analysts put the fly-away cost at $45 million, and $52 million with weapons.
The NAF 503 is a second-batch aircraft, less than 24 months in service.
Factory photos leaked on X in October 2023 ahead of delivery showed the first helicopter clearly marked as NAF 500.
Flight tracking showed a Turkish A400M (21-0118) arrived in Nigeria on November 1, 2023, with the first two helicopters.
They were formally inducted on February 6, 2024, at NAF Base Makurdi as NAF 500 and NAF 501.
The second batch of two arrived on September 3, 2024, aboard Turkish A400M 18-0094 at Tactical Air Command, Makurdi.
Military sources confirmed they were registered as NAF 502 and NAF 503.
The final two arrived in late 2024 as NAF 504 and NAF 505, completing the six-helicopter fleet.
All six are operated by 115 Special Operations Group, Makurdi.
Defence trackers note that NAF repainted factory construction numbers to NAF 500 series after delivery, a common practice to mask operational history.
Since induction, the fleet has flown intensive combat missions in Benue, Borno, Zamfara and Niger states.
NAF 503 was returning from Ogbadigbo LGA in Benue when it went down.
The incident comes three days after a military aircraft, NAF 931, an ATR-42, crashed in Igbokoda, headquarters of Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, on October 5, 2026, killing all 25 people on board, comprising 20 passengers and five crew members.
That crash prompted heightened public attention to military aviation incidents.