Tragedy Averted As Borno Dep Gov, Others Escape Plane Mishap

Over 100 passengers, including the Deputy Governor of Borno State, Umar Kadafur, narrowly escaped disaster on Wednesday when a Max Air aircraft suffered an engine failure shortly after taking off from the Maiduguri International Airport.

The aircraft, en route to Abuja, experienced technical difficulties just minutes into its flight.

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In a swift response, the pilot and crew executed an emergency landing, successfully returning the plane to Maiduguri without any injuries reported.

Eyewitnesses described the incident as alarming, with passengers visibly shaken upon disembarking.

Many travelers abandoned their plans to fly, opting to return home instead.

A source within the airport, who declined to be named due to lack of authorization to speak publicly, confirmed that Max Air arranged an alternative flight for the deputy governor, ensuring his arrival in Abuja later that day.

The faulty aircraft remains grounded at Maiduguri International Airport as engineers conduct extensive repairs. Investigations are underway to determine the cause of the engine failure.

When contacted, the Maiduguri Manager of Max Air, Mr. Musa Bawuro, acknowledged awareness of the incident but said, “Please give me time to find out from the captain.”

Efforts to reach the deputy governor’s media aide, Bulama Talba, for a comment were unsuccessful as he declined calls.

As of the time of filing this report, Max Air had not issued an official statement regarding the incident.