It was reported in a national daily that an aircraft carrying Adeleke and some of his aides nearly crashed on September 5, while attempting to take off from Lagos for a journey to Abuja, and Rasheed in a statement on Sunday, confirmed the story, adding that early reports from internal investigation indicated sabotage.
Rasheed also said the aircraft was well-maintained with the best technical crew and was never an unused platform where birds could build nests.
The statement further read, “Contrary to the claim by the hanger owner that birds’ nests caused the incident, birds’ nests are made with straws not bidding wires as in this case.
“The near-fatal incident was averted shortly after boarding and less than two minutes after commencement of taxing on the tarmac.
“An early warning noise from the engines immediately prompted the pilots to direct evacuation of the passengers. Everything happened within five minutes.
“Early reports from the internal investigation indicated sabotage. But the authorities, locally and internationally, are still investigating the incident.”
He, however, assured the public that Adeleke and his aides were safe as there was no injury or any outward explosion on the plane.
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