THE IGBOKODA TRAGEDY AND MATTERS ARISING

The fact that rescue mission for the victims of the Igbokoda NAF aircraft crash took hours to be initiated points to the failure of emergency response. For every air accident, we must understand that the disaster is avoidable and would not have happened if the right things had been put in place. Unfortunately, the country’s approach to aviation safety has always been reactive, thereby making the Igbokoda disaster a familiar, ugly reality. In fact, it suggests that the country has not learnt anything from the similar Ejigbo crash of 1992 which claimed more than hundred lives.

Reports after the disaster paint a familiar picture of complacency. It is being reported that the aircraft was grounded in Germany for three years all in the name of maintenance before it was brought back into the country late December 2024. This crash was not an act of God; it was a disaster waiting to happen. Just like others that we have had in the past, this should not be swept under the carpet. We have had similar cases wherein the government expressed shock, constituted investigate panel and then let whatever recommendation made to gather dust. With this latest tragedy, Nigerians must be made to know the circumstances surrounding the crash in order to avoid future occurrences.

As a people, we are tired of routine probes that yield no actionable change. This crash must not be swept under the carpet under the guise of “national security”. Nigerians deserve to have access to the detailed information. We must understand the reason for the death of the country’s finest officers through avoidable deaths.

Also, the video being shown the public from the search-and-recovery operation is unacceptable. The deployment of swamp buggy excavator to the cite of the crash for the retrieval of the crash victims is crude, which does not only destroy critical forensic evidence but also compromises human dignity. In the 21st century, despite the progress that has been made in crash site protocols, Nigeria still mobilises heavy industrial earthmovers to tackle very delicate recovery mission.

I must ask, where is the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau in all these? An accident site is an active forensic scene, not some dredging canal. This practice of using civil construction equipment for recovery must be stopped forthwith. The National Emergency Management Agency must rework the country’s search-and-rescue protocol. Ordinarily, we should be seeing tools such as side scan sonars, submersible Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) that can locate where the wreckage is, with accuracy, not the crude method which is best suited for drainage desilting.

Kazeem Olalekan Israel, Ibadan