The Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, has assured Nigerians and the families of victims of the recent aircraft crash in Ondo State that the Nigerian Air Force will conduct a thorough investigation to determine the cause of the incident.

Aneke gave the assurance on Thursday while addressing journalists on the crash.The Air Chief expressed condolences to the families of the victims, the Nigerian Air Force and Nigerians over the tragedy.

He said a specialised team comprising military and civilian aviation safety experts had been constituted to investigate the incident.

Aneke disclosed that he personally knew everyone on board the aircraft, including the crew members, whom he described as highly trained and professional officers.

“I basically knew everyone on that flight. I’ve flown on this airplane. My family has flown on the plane. I know each of the crew personally.

They were highly trained, professional and intelligent officers,” he said.The Air Chief said the best way to honour the victims was to properly establish what happened and ensure that lessons were learnt from the incident.

He assured the affected families that the NAF would not leave any stone unturned in getting to the root of the crash.

“I want to assure the families of our loved ones that the Nigerian Air Force will leave no stone unturned in ensuring that whatever happened here is properly investigated,” Aneke said.

He urged Nigerians to exercise patience and allow aviation safety specialists to complete their investigation rather than rushing to conclusions about the cause of the crash.

“This is not the time to start stipulating and agree with the general public who’ve lost people who are fighting for the nation.

The best you can do for them is to be really patient and let those who are specialists get to the bottom of what has happened,” he added.