ABUJA, Nigeria – All 32 people aboard a Nigerian Air Force aircraft were killed when it crashed into a swamp in Ondo State on Monday, 5 October, prompting President Bola Tinubu to order an investigation and declare three days of national mourning.
The ATR-42 was travelling from Benin City in Edo State to Lagos on a routine mission, carrying 25 passengers and seven crew members. It went down near the naval base at Igbokoda, in the Ilaje Local Government Area.
Local reports suggest the passengers included military personnel and their relatives, among them children returning to school. Authorities had not released a full passenger list, and the identities of those aboard awaited official confirmation.
Families Reportedly Among the Passengers
According to local sources quoted by Parrot Nigeria, the aircraft was carrying “airmen, soldiers and their family members”, including “children who were returning to school, and other family members who had visited their breadwinners serving in Edo and Delta states.”
Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa said no survivors had been found.
The local traditional ruler, Oba Afolabi Odidiomo, also said information gathered at the scene offered little hope.
“From my investigation and what we have gathered so far, there was no survivor,” he said.
The presidency said the Air Force would release the names of the personnel who died after contacting their families.
Contact Lost During Flight to Lagos
Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo said air traffic controllers lost contact with the aircraft at about 9:13am.
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“Air Traffic Controllers have informed me of the disappearance of a military aircraft with tail number NGR 931, enroute Lagos from Benin,” he said, adding that “all efforts to raise the aircraft on radio proved abortive.”
Keyamo said he had spoken to the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, and pledged the aviation ministry’s cooperation.
The Air Force’s Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, confirmed the crash and said a search and rescue operation had been launched with other agencies.
The wreckage was located in a swampy area opposite the naval base, where emergency teams responded to the crash.
Weather Claim Awaits Investigation
The cause of the crash has not been established.
Ilaje Local Government chairman Maurice Oripelaye, speaking through his chief press secretary, suggested that poor weather had affected the flight.
“Poor weather condition affected the pilot. He was trying to maneuver, but the poor weather condition affected the pilot,” the statement said.
The Air Force has not confirmed that account. It remains a preliminary local explanation rather than an investigative finding.
The investigation will need to establish the weather conditions, examine the aircraft’s maintenance records and reconstruct the crew’s final communications. Whether flight recorders have been recovered also remains unclear.
Tinubu Orders Probe and National Mourning
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Tinubu said Aneke had briefed him on the crash and that he had instructed the Air Force to investigate.
“The Chief of Air Staff has briefed me, and I have directed the Nigerian Air Force to immediately commence a thorough investigation into the cause of the crash to prevent future occurrences,” he said.
“This is a painful moment for our Armed Forces and for the entire nation. Our Air Force personnel put their lives on the line every day to secure Nigeria.”
The president also ordered flags to fly at half-mast during the three-day mourning period.
The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau, which investigates civilian aviation accidents, said responsibility for investigating military crashes rests with the military authorities.
It said it could provide technical assistance, including flight data analysis at its laboratory, if formally invited by the Air Force.
Renewed Scrutiny of Military Flight Safety
The Ondo crash adds to previous fatal losses involving Nigerian military aircraft.
In May 2021, a Nigerian Air Force Beechcraft King Air 350 crashed near Kaduna airport, killing all 11 aboard, including the then Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru. In August 2023, an Mi-171 helicopter crashed in Niger State during a casualty evacuation mission.
The latest disaster puts renewed attention on the safety of military flights, including those carrying personnel’s relatives.
For families awaiting official identification of their loved ones, the immediate priorities are notification and recovery. The investigation must then establish why a routine journey from Benin City to Lagos ended in the swamp at Igbokoda.
