Nigerian Air Force Plane Crash Kills 25 in Ondo State

A Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 aircraft, tail number NAF 931, crashed into a swamp near the Naval Forward Operating Base in Igbokoda, Ondo State, on Monday, October 5, while on a routine flight from Benin to Lagos. The service confirmed 25 people on board — five crew members and 20 passengers — were killed.

President Bola Tinubu declared three days of national mourning and ordered flags flown at half-mast nationwide. He directed the Air Force to launch an immediate investigation into the cause of the accident.

“We celebrate the pilot extremely for his sacrifice of his own life and the lives of those on the plane and sparing us in this town.”

Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and the traditional ruler of Igbokoda, Oba Afolabi Odidiomo, said eyewitness accounts indicate the pilot manoeuvred the aircraft away from the populated community, crashing about 200 metres from the town and likely averting a larger disaster.

Recovery operations entered a fourth day on Thursday, hampered by difficult swampy terrain. The main fuselage remains submerged and the flight recorder has not been found. The Ondo government deployed amphibious excavators, known as swamp buggies, to assist.

Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Sunday Aneke visited the site Thursday, ordering a high-level probe comprising military and civilian safety experts. He assured families of the deceased that the Armed Forces would provide necessary support.

A grieving father of one victim alleged foul play on social media, claiming 32 lives were lost for "one person's sake," contradicting the official toll. Unverified sources also alleged dual engine failure and inadequate pre-flight checks after maintenance in Benin. The Air Force cautioned against speculation pending the investigation.

Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo and the Air Chief agreed to deepen collaboration between the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and the Air Force on safety, airworthiness, and training to close the civil-military aviation safety gap.