UPDATE: Taraba Gov Suntai finally arrives Abuja

The governor was hospitalized abroad since October 2012.

Taraba state governor, Danbaba Suntai, has finally arrived Nigeria after nearly a year abroad where he received treatment for injuries he sustained in an air crash.

Mr. Suntai arrived at the Abuja international airport minutes ago aboard a chartered jet at about 1pm.

He was received by a delegation from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, led former minister of information, Jerry Gana, and will fly to Taraba state capital, Jalingo, later in the day.

The apparently ailing governor was assisted by aides and medics to get off the plane before being driven to the VIP lounge of the airport in a Toyota Land Cruiser.

At the lounge, the governor sat between two men, but made no comments. Reporters were disallowed from accessing him for an interview.

There had been confusion about the schedule of his arrival as journalists, well-wishers and government officials of Taraba state government thronged the airport.

Mr. Suntai survived an air accident October last year after a small plane he piloted crashed a short distance from the Yola airport in nearby Adamawa state.

He was flown to Germany and later US where he received treatment for severe injuries which medical experts have said should have included serious brain injury.

The governor’s wife, Hauwa, said last week he had sufficiently recovered to travel home, but close associates of the governor said the decision was political as Mr. Suntai remained ill.