Ondo NAF Crash: 32 Dead as Military Aircraft Carrying Families Crashes in Igbokoda

No fewer than 32 people have died in the crash of a Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 aircraft in Igbokoda, Ondo State, with military personnel, their family members and seven crew members among those on board.

The aircraft, identified by tail number NGR 931, crashed into a swamp opposite the Naval Base at Igbokoda while travelling from Benin to Lagos on a routine NAF mission.

Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, said preliminary information showed that the aircraft was carrying 25 passengers and seven crew members.

Sources said some of the passengers were family members of military personnel, including children travelling back to school and relatives who had visited military breadwinners serving in Edo and Delta states.

The aircraft was said to have been on a logistics mission to Lagos for NAF operations, with military families also benefiting from the flight.

Keyamo said: “Subsequently information, however, confirmed that the military aircraft crashed close to the Naval Base at Igbokoda, Ondo State. The wreckage has been located and search and rescue operations are ongoing.”

The Nigerian Air Force said it had activated an immediate search and rescue operation following the crash, while President Bola Tinubu ordered a thorough investigation to determine the cause of the accident.

The crash has triggered mourning across the country, with the President expressing condolences to the families of the victims and the Nigerian Air Force.

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