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A Nigerian military plane has crashed in the northwestern state of Zamfara after being opened fire by robbers.
The plane was returning after completing a successful operation between the Zamfara and Kaduna states.
A statement from the Air Force said on Monday that the pilot, Lt. Abayomi Dairo, had disembarked within an hour.
After surviving the crash, the gunmen opened fire on him, but he managed to avoid them and sought refuge in another village until dawn.
The statement added that at the time of the news of the crash, Air Chief Marshal Oladayo Amao, ordered that all efforts be made to rescue the pilot.
"It was then that Air Force reconnaissance and combat helicopters and ground support were used to identify the scene of the accident and to see how the pilot used it to facilitate.
They then proceeded to search for the driver near the scene of the incident.
"It is very gratifying how Lt. Dairo has confirmed that the presence of fighter jets in the area where the accident took place has helped to intimidate the gunmen who are trying to find him.
"That is why he escaped from them and took refuge," the statement said.
The Air Force said it had been two weeks since it had launched night and day airstrikes on the hideouts of the militants, following President Buhari's order to search them wherever they are in Kaduna, Katsina and Zamfara states.
Such attacks in Nigeria are common. Boko Haram and ISWAP militants have repeatedly planted roadside bombs, killing dozens of soldiers and commanders.
Militant attacks in Sokoto, Katsina and Zamfara states have been on the rise recently, a step the Nigerian government has failed to curb. Recent reports indicate that yesterday, a group of gunmen kidnapped seven members of the same family and demanded a ransom of 50 million naira before releasing them.
Widespread violence has forced thousands of people to flee to neighboring Niger and Chad for safety.
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