DOMINANT ANGLE
Abuja is particularly focused on the figure of the Indian commander hailed as a hero by Netanyahu, and the resulting invitation to Israel, more so than the Emirati investigation itself.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
Netanyahu invited Indian commander Smit Machchhar to Israel as a guest of honor and told him: "You are a true hero of the brave peoples of India and Israel".
- 02
Emirati Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, quoted by WAM, claims the copilot attempted to commit a "terrorist act" with the emergency axe.
- 03
Machchhar recounts receiving a blow to the back of the head four to five minutes after the copilot asked to pray; the flight was diverted on Wednesday, September 30.
ANALYSIS
Abuja, October 4, 2026. Nigerian headlines are covering the Flydubai flight incident from the angle of the story and public recognition: the invitation extended by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Indian Commander Smit Machchhar, rather than the investigation into the copilot's motivations.
Vanguard Nigeria and Daily Post Nigeria report that Netanyahu invited the hospitalized commander as a guest of honor to Israel on Saturday, October 3. He wants Machchhar and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, presented as one of Israel's key international partners, to light a flame during the national Independence Day ceremony next May, a role usually reserved for Israeli citizens. "You are a true hero of the brave people of India and Israel and a hero to the whole world," Netanyahu said in a video released by his office.
The two newspapers also relay the statement by the UAE's Attorney General, Hamad Saif Al Shamsi. According to the official WAM agency, cited by Daily Post, the copilot "had attempted to commit a terrorist act" and "had attacked the commander in the cockpit with the emergency axe and tried to take control of the plane." The flight bound for Tel Aviv had been diverted on Wednesday, September 30. Daily Post adds that a passenger had earlier claimed that one pilot had attacked the other and tried to crash the plane.
The commander's account takes up a large space in Vanguard. Machchhar recounts that the copilot had asked to be excused to pray, which is "nothing out of the ordinary" for many locals. About four to five minutes later, he received "a big blow to the back of the head," followed by successive blows. He says he realized that "it wasn't the plane, it was the other man" in the cockpit, and managed to open the door, which the copilot would have closed. He specifies that his memory remains imperfect due to his injury.
Nigerian coverage remains factual and dispatch-like: it does not mention the presumed identity of the copilot, his background, the Australian investigation, the suspension of Emirati flights to Israel, or the debate on pilot control procedures. The Indo-Israeli dimension of the tribute is instead highlighted, with the invitation to Modi.
