The incident occurred on Wednesday, October 7, in the Ogbadigbo area of the state, near the Enugu–Benue boundary.
In a statement issued by the Director of Public Relations and Information at NAF Headquarters, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, the Air Force said the helicopter provided close air support to ground troops during an operation targeting suspected kidn@ppers.
According to the statement, the operation disrupted the activities of the suspected criminals and supported the advance of ground forces.
The clarification followed reports on social media claiming that the helicopter had made an emergency landing in a farmland in Makurdi.
NAF, however, said the pilot made a precautionary landing after completing the combat mission while returning to base, in line with established operational and safety procedures.
“Following the successful completion of the mission, the pilot, on return to base, exercised his professional discretion to execute a precautionary landing approximately 10 nautical miles from the airfield,” Ejodame said.
The Air Force stressed that the helicopter was not stranded and had subsequently returned safely to base.
“The helicopter has returned to base,” the statement added.
Earlier, a resident, Stephen Ikpam, had claimed that the aircraft landed in the Utur Tse-Igboji community, Bar Council Ward, Makurdi, following what he described as a technical fault.
Ikpam said residents rushed to the scene to assist the officers on board and confirmed that everyone on the aircraft survived the incident.
The development came days after a Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 aircraft crashed in Ondo State, k+lling military personnel and prompting President Bola Tinubu to declare three days of national mourning.
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