Ondo aircraft crash: No survivor found – Aiyedatiwa

No survivor has been found after a Nigerian Air Force aircraft crashed in Igbokoda, Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa said on Monday.

Aiyedatiwa disclosed this during an interview with Channels Television, hours after the Nigerian Air Force confirmed that its ATR-42 aircraft, with tail number NGR 931, crashed in the area while on a routine mission from Benin, Edo State, to Lagos.

The governor said residents, security personnel and emergency responders had searched the crash site but had not found anyone alive.

“But from the information we got, no single life was saved up to this moment. They could not see any living soul that was in that aircraft,” Aiyedatiwa said.

He said residents across the river from the Nigerian Navy base in Igbokoda heard a loud sound and later saw the aircraft plunge into a swampy area.

According to him, the Navy initially stayed back to determine whether there was a fire or explosion before moving towards the site, while officials of the state emergency agency, residents and Amotekun Corps personnel joined the search.

Aiyedatiwa said searchers recovered parts of the aircraft, including wing wreckage, identification cards and uniforms, which helped establish that the crashed aircraft was a military plane.

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, had earlier said preliminary information indicated that 25 passengers and seven crew members were aboard the aircraft, bringing the number of people on board to 32. He said the aircraft disappeared from radar at about 9:13am before its wreckage was located near the Naval Base in Igbokoda.

The Nigerian Air Force said it had activated search and rescue operations in coordination with relevant authorities and emergency response agencies, but had not initially disclosed the number of casualties or confirmed the condition of those aboard.

President Bola Tinubu has since directed the Nigerian Air Force to investigate the cause of the crash, describing the incident as a painful moment for the Armed Forces and the country.

Aiyedatiwa described the incident as particularly painful because it occurred in his home state and local government, expressing sympathy for the military personnel involved and their families.

“It happens to Nigerian military officers who are assigned to protect the territorial integrity of our country and, you know, involving such, you know, accidents. So, so painful. So painful, but so sad,” he said.

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