A Nigerian military combat drone has crashed in the Kontagora forest area of Niger State under circumstances that remain unclear.
SaharaReporters gathered that the unmanned aerial vehicle went down on Friday, raising fresh concerns over aerial military operations in the North-Central region. A photograph obtained by SaharaReporters shows the drone lying wrecked inside the forest. The aircraft reportedly did not explode after the crash.
As of the time of filing this report, the Nigerian military had yet to issue an official statement on the incident, while the Niger State government had also not responded. SaharaReporters could not independently confirm the location from which the drone was launched.
The development comes amid heightened security concerns following recent reports of suspected herdsmen handling what they claimed were fragments of a bomb allegedly dropped by the United States military on Christmas Day in Jabo community, Sokoto State.
In a video previously obtained by SaharaReporters, the men, speaking in Hausa, were seen mocking the U.S. military while casually handling the metallic object, which they claimed posed no threat. The men were heard boasting about Nigeria’s resilience and dismissing the effectiveness of foreign military weapons.
Authorities are yet to comment on both incidents.
