Nigerian Air Force Plane Crashes in Ondo State, Killing All 32 Aboard
ABUJA, NIGERIA — WEB DESK: A Nigerian military aircraft crashed in southwestern Ondo State on Monday, killing all 32 people aboard in one of the country’s deadliest recent military aviation disasters.
The Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 was carrying 25 passengers and seven crew members when it crashed near the coastal town of Igbokoda.
There were no survivors.
The aircraft was travelling on a routine mission from Benin City to Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial hub, when air traffic controllers lost contact with it shortly after 9am local time.
Repeated attempts to establish radio communication with the aircraft were unsuccessful.
The wreckage was subsequently located near a naval base in Igbokoda, prompting emergency teams and security agencies to launch search and recovery operations.
President Bola Tinubu expressed condolences to the families of the passengers and crew members killed in the disaster, describing the crash as a painful moment for Nigeria’s armed forces and the country.
Tinubu ordered the Nigerian Air Force to immediately begin a comprehensive investigation to establish the cause of the crash and identify measures that could prevent similar accidents.
The identities of those killed are expected to be released after their families have been formally notified.
Nigeria has also declared three days of national mourning, with flags ordered to fly at half-staff in honour of the victims.
The precise cause of the crash remains unknown.
A resident living near the accident site recalled hearing a loud noise resembling thunder around the time the aircraft went down.
A fisherman in the area subsequently alerted the nearby naval base and local residents to the crash.
Igbokoda is located in the Ilaje area of Ondo State, a coastal and oil-producing part of southwestern Nigeria.
The ATR-42 is a twin-engine turboprop aircraft, variants of which are used for passenger transport and specialised military operations.
Nigeria has experienced several deadly military aviation accidents in previous years.
In May 2021, then-army chief Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru and 10 other military personnel were killed when their aircraft crashed while attempting to land in Kaduna.
The latest disaster is expected to renew scrutiny of military aviation safety as investigators work to determine what caused Monday’s fatal flight.
Authorities have not announced any preliminary technical cause, making speculation about mechanical failure, weather or human factors premature until the investigation produces evidence.
