A military jet was on Friday involved in a near crash at the Yola Airport, Adamawa State.
The aircraft suddenly lost two of its rear tyres while trying to take off.
The jet is believed to be one of those being used for aerial bombardments of insurgents in the North East, including in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states.
Our correspondent, who was at the airport at about 2.30pm when the incident occurred, observed that there was panic among airport users and workers when the engine of the aircraft was suddenly switched off while taxing on the runway.
Airport officials including fire fighters and security operatives were quickly mobilised for emergency services as alarm was raised.
The initial report was that the jet was on fire, but emergency officials debunked the claims after a visit to the scene of the incident.
However, the development led to the temporary closure of the airport’s runway to traffic.
Many passengers waiting to board Arik Air W3 409 to Abuja were left stranded by the incident.
The Arik flight was initially scheduled for 3.10pm.
An airport official who did not want his name in print said, “The military jet lost two of its rear tyres while it was trying to take off. It was a case of burst tyres.
“As expected, the runway has been temporarily shut down until when we are able to tow away the jet. That can be done in an hour.
“The Arik aircraft coming from Abuja will therefore be delayed until when we are able to clear the runway.
“In a situation like this, investigation must definitely be carried out to know what went wrong and why the aircraft lost two tyres at the same time.”
“Security officers on ground are also making efforts to get the report across to their bosses.”