Daily Post Nigeria
Published
The claim of responsibility by Boko Haram insurgents for the downing of a Nigerian Air Force Alpha jet and denial of the claim by the Nigerian Airforce have raised new questions over the credibility of such claims by Boko Haram and the level of transparency of the military in the war against insurgency in the country.
With the development, experts and other stakeholders are raising questions and have advised the military on how to gain the confidence of Nigerians as they battle the insurgents.
On Thursday, 1st of April, the Nigerian Air Force announced, in an early morning statement, that one of its Alpha fighter jets involved in the war against insurgency in the North-East lost contact with radar in the evening of Wednesday, 31st of March, 2021.
“Rest easy brother. You will be greatly missed,” Adepoju tweeted.
Rest easy brother. You will be greatly missed pic.twitter.com/uKtYl37oqY Mutiu Adepoju (@MutiuAdepoju8) February 10, 2021
Nicknamed the ‘Dean of Defence’, Shofoluwe was part of the first Nigerian squad to feature at Fifa-organised championship – at the 1983 U20 World Cup in Mexico. There, Christopher Udemezue s Flying Eagles crashed out in the first round following defeats to Brazil and then Soviet Union in Group D.
That same year, he won his first senior cap as the Super Eagles triumphed 4-3 over Morocco in a 1984 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against in Benin City, which ended goalless.
NFF mourns as Yisa Sofoluwe, Dean of Defence passes on thenff.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thenff.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
“This is so unfortunate and sad. This is one death too many. This is a great loss to his family and the sporting fraternity. He was a great goalkeeper who stood out among his peers.
“He also made his mark as Assistant Super Eagles coach. My deepest condolences go to the family, friends and the football family. May God bless his soul and comfort his family.”
On their part, the Nigeria Football federation said “It is another sad day for Nigerian Football. Erico was among the very best of and also served the country with fervour and diligence as Assistant Coach of the Super Eagles between 2001 and 2002.