Military Aircraft with 32 Onboard Crashes Near Naval Base in Ondo

Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor 

A Nigerian Air Force aircraft with 32 people on board, comprising 25 passengers and seven crew members, has crashed in the Igbokoda area of Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, prompting an immediate search and rescue operation by military and emergency response agencies. The aircraft, an ATR-42 with tail number NGR 931, was on a routine mission from Benin, Edo State, to Lagos when the accident occurred on Monday, October 5, 2026.

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, confirmed the crash in a statement on Monday. He disclosed that air traffic controllers lost contact with the aircraft at about 9:13 a.m. local time. "I regret to inform the general public that Air Traffic Controllers have informed me of the disappearance of a military aircraft with tail number NGR 931, en route Lagos from Benin at 0913 hours earlier today. All efforts to raise the aircraft on radio proved abortive," Keyamo said. He subsequently confirmed that the wreckage had been located close to the Naval Base in Igbokoda. "Subsequently, information however confirmed that the military aircraft has crashed close to the Naval Base in Igbokoda, Ondo State. The wreckage has been located and search and rescue operations are ongoing," he said. "Preliminary information suggests that there were 25 passengers and 7 crew members on board."

The Nigerian Air Force also confirmed the incident in a statement issued by its Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame. "The Nigerian Air Force has activated an immediate Search and Rescue operation following an ATR-42 aircraft accident in the Igbokoda area of Ondo State on 5 October 2026," the statement read. "The aircraft was on a routine mission from Benin to Lagos when the accident occurred. Search and Rescue operations, in coordination with relevant authorities and emergency response agencies, are currently ongoing. The NAF is committed to ensuring the success of the ongoing Search and Rescue efforts. Further details will be communicated in due course." The Air Force did not disclose the number of casualties or provide details about the condition of those on board in its initial statement.

The crash has drawn national attention, and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has since confirmed that all 32 people on board died in the incident, according to international media reports. The president's confirmation came after the initial search and rescue phase, which involved military personnel and emergency responders combing the wreckage site near the naval base. Keyamo noted that the control and regulation of military aircraft fall outside the authority of the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority. He, however, said he had spoken with the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, and pledged the ministry's full cooperation and assistance in the ongoing search and rescue efforts.

The crash occurred in a coastal community in Ondo State's Ilaje Local Government Area, an area that has witnessed previous aviation incidents. The Igbokoda area is home to a naval base, which facilitated the rapid deployment of rescue personnel to the wreckage site. The ATR-42 is a twin-engine turboprop aircraft widely used for regional and military transport missions, with a seating capacity of between 40 and 48 passengers depending on configuration. The Nigerian Air Force operates a fleet of transport aircraft for logistics and personnel movement, and the loss of an ATR-42 with 32 people on board represents one of the deadliest air crashes involving a military aircraft in Nigeria in recent years.

The incident comes amid heightened concern over aviation safety in Nigeria, although military air operations are subject to different regulatory and operational protocols than civilian commercial aviation. The Ministry of Aviation and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority regulate civil aviation, while military aircraft operate under the authority of the Nigerian Air Force and the Ministry of Defence. The crash is expected to prompt a thorough investigation into the circumstances that led to the loss of contact with the aircraft and its subsequent crash.

The political context of the incident is significant. The 2027 general elections are less than four months away, with the presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for January 16, and the governorship and state assembly elections for February 6. Security and national stability have emerged as central issues in the campaign, and the loss of 32 military personnel and passengers in a single incident will add to the scrutiny of the Tinubu administration's handling of national security and emergency response. The President's confirmation of the deaths, issued shortly after the crash, reflects an effort to communicate directly with Nigerians and to demonstrate that the government is responding to the tragedy.

For the families of the 32 people on board, the crash represents an unfathomable loss. The passengers were travelling on a routine military transport mission, a common occurrence for personnel and civilians authorised to use military airlift for official purposes. The identities of the victims have not been released, pending notification of their families and the completion of recovery operations. The search and rescue operation, while it has located the wreckage, has now transitioned into a recovery effort, with the focus shifting to determining the cause of the crash and ensuring that the bodies of the deceased are recovered and identified.

As Nigeria mourns the loss of 32 lives in one of the deadliest military aviation accidents in recent memory, questions will inevitably be asked about the safety of military air operations, the maintenance of the NAF's transport fleet, and the protocols that govern the movement of personnel and passengers on military aircraft. The Nigerian Air Force has pledged to communicate further details as they become available, and the Chief of Air Staff has been engaged in the response effort. For now, the nation awaits the outcome of the investigation and the full accounting of a tragedy that has claimed 32 lives and left families and communities grieving across the country.

📩 Stone Reporters News | 🌍 stonereportersnews.com

✉️ info@stonereportersnews.com | 📘 Facebook: Stone Reporters News | 🐦 X (Twitter): @StoneReportNew | 📸 Instagram: @stonereportersnews