One crash, too many – Daily Trust

From: Promise Adagba (Akure), Baba Martins, Idowu Isamotu (Abuja) & Abdullateef Aliyu (Lagos) 

 

Residents of Igbokoda in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State have recounted moments when a Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 aircraft crashed into a swampy area near the coastal community on Monday.

Some of the witnesses, who spoke to Daily Trust, said they heard a loud explosion from the direction of the waterways as people thronged the area in panic.

They described seeing bodies, pieces of the aircraft and personal belongings scattered across the waterlogged crash site.

The aircraft, later confirmed by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) as an ATR-42 with tail number NGR 931, was carrying 32 people — 25 passengers and seven crew members — on a routine mission from Benin to Lagos on Monday when it crashed into the swamp opposite the Naval Base in Igbokoda.

A community leader, Hosea Maha, said the explosion was the first indication that something had gone wrong.

“We were fishing on the other side of the river when we heard a big explosion inside the water. We mobilised ourselves to the area around 10 a.m. We later discovered that an incident must have happened,” he said.

Maha said the difficult terrain prevented residents from getting close to the wreckage.

“We couldn’t enter where the aircraft was because it was a deep swamp area that our boat could not even reach, but we saw body parts scattered all over the waterside. We immediately reported the situation to naval officers,” he said.

Oluboyo Olusola, one of the residents who got close to the crash area, said he saw aircraft parts, clothes and remains around the site.

“After the incident, I was here personally. I saw many things. I saw parts of the aircraft, I saw parts of bodies that were scattered and clothes. Other bodies are inside the water,” he told Daily Trust.

According to Olusola, some of the clothing found at the scene appeared to belong to women and children.

“We also saw children’s clothes and female clothing,” he said.

For Abayomi Festus, reaching the crash site was difficult because of its location inside the creek.

“We heard a very loud sound in the area where the incident occurred, but we could not get there because the place is a swampy area inside the creek; we were just looking at it from afar,” he added.

He said security personnel later moved into the area as residents waited anxiously for news from the crash site.

“The police and the military people later came around there for rescue, but the occupants of the aircraft might have died there,” he said.

Another witness, Akinte Oluwatere, said the aircraft had already gone deep into the swamp, making it impossible for residents to rescue anyone.

“There was nothing we could do to rescue anybody because the plane had already entered the swamp,” he said.

He added that naval personnel arrived shortly afterwards and joined the effort to access the crash location.

“It was around 10 a.m. It took naval officers like 30 minutes to arrive. They entered that place with us, but when we got there, there was nothing we could do to rescue them,” he said.

Ayedugbe Abel said the heavy rainfall at the time further complicated efforts to locate the exact crash site.

“This morning, it was raining here around 10:30. We just heard a sudden cry of a jet. We did not know exactly whether it was a plane, jet or helicopter. We knew that something dropped there,” he said.

According to him, residents immediately mobilised to search for the aircraft and its occupants.

“Our people here tried a lot. Even women and men took canoes to cross to that place to rescue them,” he said.

Abel said the community’s efforts were constrained by the difficult terrain.

“We tried our best, but unfortunately we could not locate the exact place. Police have come, naval personnel and government agents have come. Some people even swam to the place,” he said.

Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman of Ilaje Local Government Area, Taiwo Sadare, who joined officials moving towards the crash scene, said the local government, naval personnel and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) were involved in the response.

“The chairman of the local government, naval personnel and NEMA personnel were moving to the scene where it happened. I was in the entourage. A helicopter was deployed from Abuja to monitor the situation and locate the place,” he said.

Sadare said preliminary information from the scene suggested that bad weather may have affected the aircraft.

“When I got to the scene, I made findings there. They said it was poor weather conditions that affected the pilot. He was trying to manoeuvre, but the poor weather conditions affected him. The aircraft caught fire before it eventually crashed into a swampy area very close to the water, behind the Naval Base,” he said.

However, the cause of the crash had yet to be officially established as of the time of filing the report.

For the traditional ruler of Igbokoda, Oba Afolabi Odidiomo, the location of the crash prevented what could have been an even greater tragedy.

The monarch said he initially feared that the aircraft might have been a passenger plane and could have crashed into the densely populated part of the community.

“I was praying and hoping it was not a plane because the number of casualties would be high. Our first gratitude is to Almighty God that it did not crash inside the town,” he told Daily Trust.

According to him, the aircraft came down across a river in a bushy and waterlogged area.

“It fell across the river into the bush. The area is currently waterlogged because of the rains,” he said.

The monarch added that there were no reports of survivors at the time he spoke.

“So far, there have not been any survivors,” he said.

In a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Ebenezer Adeniyan, the Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, also expressed sadness over the incident and extended condolences to the Nigerian Air Force and the families of those on board.

 

NAF, Keyamo speak on crash

The Nigerian Air Force, while confirming that one of its aircraft crashed, said it had activated search-and-rescue operations.

Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, also confirmed the crash, saying air traffic controllers lost contact with the aircraft at about 9:13 a.m.

Ehimen Ejodame, an Air Commodore, noted that the Force was committed to ensuring the success of the ongoing search and rescue efforts.

The senior military officer said in a statement issued after the incident that further details would be provided to the public as the rescue operations progress.

He said, “The Nigerian Air Force has activated an immediate Search and Rescue operation following an ATR-42 aircraft accident in the Igbokoda area of Ondo State on 5 October 2026.

“The aircraft was on a routine mission from Benin to Lagos when the accident occurred. Search and Rescue operations, in coordination with relevant authorities and emergency response agencies, are currently ongoing.

“The NAF is committed to ensuring the success of the ongoing Search and Rescue efforts. Further details will be communicated in due course.”

Keyamo, in a statement, said the aircraft, with registration number NGR 931, disappeared while en route from Benin to Lagos at about 9:13 a.m.

He said air traffic controllers alerted authorities after attempts to establish radio contact with the aircraft failed.

According to the minister, subsequent information confirmed that the military aircraft had crashed close to the Naval Base in Igbokoda, with the wreckage already located.

He said search and rescue operations were ongoing.

“Preliminary information suggests that there were 25 passengers and seven crew members on board,” Keyamo said.

The minister clarified that the control and regulation of military aircraft are outside the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

He, however, said he had spoken with the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, and pledged the ministry’s “total cooperation and assistance” in the ongoing search and rescue operation.

“Further information on this unfortunate incident will be made available subsequently,” he added.

 

Timeline of plane crashes

Daily Trust reports that with the latest incident, about 20 military plane crashes have been recorded since 2015.

On August 29, 2015, the Dornier 228, NAF030, crashed into Ribadu Cantonment (Old NDA) in Kaduna State on Saturday, killing all seven passengers. On October 10, 2015, one person was killed when an F-7NI fighter jet crashed during training in Kaduna. AgustaWestland 101 helicopter handed to the Nigerian Air Force by the Presidency suffered a “mishap” while taxing on a tarmac in Makurdi, Benue State, on November 15, 2016.

On July 6, 2017, an Agusta 109 light utility helicopter ditched after a technical fault in Borno State. No deaths were recorded. Months later, on September 28, 2018, two F-7NI fighter jets collided during Independence Day rehearsal in Abuja, killing one person. On January 2 2019, five persons – Flight Lieutenant Perowei Jacob, Flight Lieutenant Kaltho Paul Kilyof, Sergeant Auwal Ibrahim, Lance Corporal Adamu Nura and Meshack Ishmael were killed when a Mi-35M attack helicopter crashed during a combat support operation in Damasak, Borno,

On June 12, 2019, a NAF helicopter crash-landed in Katsina while returning from an anti-banditry combat mission in the Northwest Theatre under Operation HADARAN DAJI. No lives were lost in the incident. Two months later, on August 17, 2019, an RV-6A Air Beetle trainer aircraft crashed in Kaduna, killing one person. The following month, on November 14, 2019, a NAF training helicopter crashed in Enugu, but nobody died.

On February 21, 2021, a Beechcraft King Air 350i crashed after engine failure in Abuja, killing seven persons. The following month, on March 31, Alpha Jet lost radar contact during a combat operation in Borno. Two crew members died in the crash. Less than two months later, on May 21, 2021, Beechcraft King Air 350 with registration number NAF 203 crashed near Kaduna Airport, killing 11 persons, including the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru.

On July 18, 2021, an Alpha Jet was shot down during a counter-insurgency operation in Zamfara. However, the pilot ejected and survived. Nine months later, on April 19, 2022, a Super Mushshak trainer aircraft crashed in Kaduna, killing two crew members: Flt. Abubakar Muhammed Alkali and Flt. Elijah Haruna Karatu. On July 14, 2023 FT-7NI trainer aircraft crashed during training in Makurdi, Benue. Two pilots successfully ejected.

On August 14, 2023, an MI-171E helicopter crashed during a casualty evacuation mission in Niger State. Eleven persons, including two pilots and two crew members, were killed. On December 1, 2023, an MI-35P attack helicopter crashed shortly after takeoff in Port Harcourt, but all five crew survived.

Three months later, on March 7, 2024, a NAF Super Mushshak trainer crashed in Zaria, Kaduna State. No deaths were recorded during the incident, as the pilots survived the crash.

No fewer than 8 people were killed on October 24, 2024 Sikorsky S76C+ helicopter, with registration number 5N-BQG, crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near Bonny Finima, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The aircraft, operated by Eastwind Aviation, was en route from Port Harcourt Military Base to NUIMANTAN oil rig when it crashed.

An investigation conducted by the NSIB after the incident revealed that the helicopter was not fitted with a Flight Data Recorder (FDR) in accordance with the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations 2023, and the radio altimeter was faulty.

On December 6, 2025, a NAF Alpha Jet was in an in-flight emergency during a post-inspection test flight, near Karabonde, Borgu LGA, close to NAF Base Kainji. Two pilots were injured and subsequently ejected for treatment.

In the same month, a Hawker 800XP private jet, operated by Flybird Aircraft Management, had a nose gear collapse during landing in Lagos. All eight occupants escaped unharmed.

 

Tinubu orders probe of crash

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has expressed sadness over the latest crash in Ondo State and directed the Nigerian Air Force to immediately commence a thorough investigation into the cause of the crash.

This was disclosed by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy in a statement on Monday.

Onanuga said the president extended his deepest condolences to the family of the 25 passengers and seven crew members involved, the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, and all officers, airmen and airwomen of the Nigerian Air Force.

The president also declared a three-day national mourning for those who died in the crash and directed that flags should be flown at half-mast throughout the country as a mark of respect to the officers.

He said the Air Force would release the officers’ names after contacting their families.

The statement read in part, “The president explained that he had been briefed about what happened. 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. Their sacrifice will never be forgotten.

“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. I commend the Nigerian Air Force for activating an immediate Search and Rescue operation following the accident.

“I pray for the repose of the souls of the gallant officers and for Almighty God to grant their families and the Nigerian Air Force the fortitude to bear the unfortunate loss.”

President Tinubu also assured the Nigerian Air Force of the continued support of his administration as “they continue their vital role in securing our nation.”

“I also commend the swift response of first responders and the Ondo State Government at the crash site,” he added.

 

NSIB offers assistance

The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has offered to provide technical support to the Air Force through its investigators and Flight Safety Laboratory for the recovery, readout and analysis of flight recorder data if formally requested.

In a statement signed by its Director General and Chief Executive Officer, Captain Alex Badeh Jr., the Bureau expressed condolences to the Nigerian Air Force and the families and colleagues of those on board.

The NSIB said search and rescue operations had been activated and were ongoing in coordination with relevant authorities and emergency response agencies.

It also commended the first responders and search and rescue teams working at the crash site.

However, the Bureau clarified that investigative responsibility rests with the Nigerian Air Force because the accident involved a military aircraft.

“The Bureau will provide assistance upon a formal request from the Air Force,” the NSIB said.

The NSIB’s offer of technical assistance means that, although the military retains responsibility for investigating the accident, the civilian aviation safety agency could provide specialist expertise, particularly in the recovery and analysis of flight recorder data.

The statement said, “The NSIB stands ready to assist the Nigerian Air Force, at its request, with whatever technical support may be required. That support can include the deployment of investigators and the use of the Bureau’s Flight Safety Laboratory for the recovery, readout and analysis of flight recorder data.

“As this occurrence involves a military aircraft, investigative responsibility rests with the Nigerian Air Force. The Bureau will provide assistance upon a formal request from the Air Force. The NSIB commends the swift activation of Search and Rescue and the efforts of first responders at Igbokoda.

“The public is urged to rely exclusively on official updates from the Nigerian Air Force on the rescue operation and on any investigation. Further comment from the Bureau will be issued only as appropriate, and in consultation with the Nigerian Air Force.”