Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has said no survivor has been found following the crash of a Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 aircraft in Igbokoda, Ilaje Local Government Area, confirming that search teams had recovered wreckage but no living soul from the swampy crash site.
Aiyedatiwa disclosed this on Monday during an interview, saying local residents, security personnel and emergency responders had combed the area but had yet to find anyone alive. He said the information about the crash reached him at about 10:30 a.m. after the chairman of Ilaje Local Government Area, Hon. Maurice Oripelaye, contacted him. According to the governor, residents across the river from the Nigerian Navy base in Igbokoda heard a loud sound resembling an earth tremor and later saw the aircraft dive into a swampy area. He said the Nigerian Navy initially stayed back to ascertain whether there was any fire or explosion before moving towards the crash site. "When they noticed that it's just an accident, they didn't see any sign of fire. So they moved in, trying to see if they could rescue the people," Aiyedatiwa said.
The governor said officials of the local emergency management agency, local residents and personnel of the Amotekun Corps also joined the search for possible survivors. "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," he said. Aiyedatiwa said searchers found parts of the aircraft, including pieces of the wings, identification cards and uniforms, which helped confirm that the crashed aircraft was a military plane. "But they saw the ruins, some of the wreckage from the wings of the aircraft, you know, some ID cards, I was told, and then uniform. That was when they knew it was a military aircraft," he said.
The governor described the incident as a painful development, particularly because it occurred in his home state and local government. "So it's a sad situation today. And we're all really, really aggrieved as Nigerians. And also it happens in my own state, not just my state, even in my own local government where I'm from," he said. He expressed sympathy for the military personnel involved, describing them as officers assigned to protect the territorial integrity of the country. "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 added.
The Nigerian Air Force confirmed that the aircraft, an ATR-42 with tail number NGR 931, crashed in Igbokoda while on a routine mission from Benin, Edo State, to Lagos. The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, said preliminary information indicated that 25 passengers and seven crew members were on board the aircraft. The NAF said search and rescue efforts were ongoing following the crash, and that it had activated an immediate Search and Rescue operation in coordination with relevant authorities and emergency response agencies. The aircraft is understood to have been used for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance as well as air maritime operations.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered the Nigerian Air Force to commence a thorough investigation into the cause of the crash. "The Chief of Air Staff has briefed me, and I have directed the Nigerian Air Force to immediately commence a thorough investigation into the cause of the crash to prevent future occurrences," the President said. Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, said Tinubu described the incident as a "painful moment" for the armed forces and the country, and extended his deepest condolences to the families of the 25 passengers and seven crew members involved.
Aiyedatiwa had earlier directed the State Emergency Management Agency, the Ministry of Health, and relevant security agencies to immediately mobilise and offer full logistical and human support to the Nigerian Air Force and other emergency response agencies in the search and rescue operations at the crash site. He also ordered that the area be cordoned off and secured to allow for smooth and unhindered rescue operations, and appealed to residents of Igbokoda and surrounding communities to remain calm and cooperate with officials working at the scene. The governor urged the public to rely on information from the relevant authorities rather than circulate unverified reports about the incident.
Local accounts painted a harrowing picture of the aftermath. Akintan Toluwalase, a resident who rushed to the scene, said they saw human body parts but could do nothing. The Guardian reported that human parts, clothes and shoes were seen floating in the water, and that the presence of water may have prevented the aircraft from catching fire after the impact.
The crash has cast a pall over Ondo State and the Nigerian military, claiming the lives of 32 personnel and passengers in a single incident. The identities of the victims have not been released pending notification of their families. The Nigerian Air Force has pledged to communicate further details as they become available, and the investigation ordered by the President will seek to determine what caused the aircraft to lose contact with air traffic controllers at 9:13 a.m. and plunge into the swamp. For the families of the 32 people on board, the confirmation of no survivors brings a devastating certainty to a day that began with hope for a successful rescue. As Aiyedatiwa put it, it was a painful day for Nigeria, for the military, and for a governor who lost his own people in his own local government.
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