PRESIDENT BUHARI DIRECTS NATIONAL FLAGS AT HALF-MAST, DECLARES MONDAY WORK-FREE DAY FOR MILITARY PERSONNEL. resident Buhari directs National Flag to fly at half-mast, declares Monday work-free day for military personnel.

President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the National Flag be flown at half-mast in all public buildings, facilities and official residences across the Country.

The directive is with effect from Monday to Wednesday.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha who announced this in a statement on Sunday explained that the Presidential directive was to honour the memory and services of the late Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru as well as the Senior Military Officers and Service members who died in a plane crash on Friday last week.

Mustapha added that the President has approved Monday as a work-free day for members of the Nigeria Armed Forces.

The remains of the late Attahiru and ten other officers who died in the plane crash in Kaduna were laid to rest on Saturday at the National Military Cemetery in Abuja.

The Flight Data Recorder, FDR and Cockpit Voice Recorder, CVR, from the crashed Beechcraft 350 aircraft that led to the deaths of the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru and ten other officers have been recovered.

The Accident Investigation Bureau who revealed this over the weekend through a statement by AIB’s General Manager, Public Affairs, Tunji Oketunbi said it has been mandated by the Nigeria Air Force to lead the investigation into the crash of the military aircraft.

According to the statement the mandate given to AIB is based on the Memorandum of Understanding, MOU signed between the two government agencies on July 1, 2021.

Military authorities have suggested that the flight crashed due to adverse weather conditions.

Earlier the late COAS and the other officers were buried at the National Military Cementary in Abuja.