Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
The Ondo State Government has deployed swamp buggies, an amphibious excavator, medical personnel and ambulances to the site of the Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 aircraft crash in Igbokoda, Ilaje Local Government Area, as search and recovery teams continue to struggle against a difficult swampy terrain more than 24 hours after the crash that killed all 32 people on board.
The aircraft, marked NAF-931, was on a routine mission from Benin, Edo State, to Lagos when it lost contact with air traffic controllers at about 9:13 a.m. on Monday, October 5, 2026. The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, confirmed the disappearance, stating that all efforts to raise the aircraft on radio proved abortive. The wreckage was subsequently located about 500 metres east of the Nigerian Naval Base in Igbokoda, where it had crashed into a swamp and sank deep into the water. The Commissioner for Health, Dr Banji Ajaka, disclosed that the pilots diverted the aircraft away from the community before it crashed, a decision that he said prevented a catastrophic accident in Igbokoda town. "But for the bravery of the pilots, they diverted the thing away from the community. So that it landed in the forest close to the community," Ajaka said.
The terrain has posed formidable obstacles to the recovery operation. The Commissioner of Police in Ondo State, Felix Ohagwu, described the rescue operation as challenging, noting that the aircraft remained deeply submerged and that the difficult terrain, characterised by creeks, mangroves and murky waters, had impeded the search. He said only canoes could reach the crash site, making the recovery of bodies extremely difficult, and that he had personally assessed the scene using a small boat. "We are still expecting a bigger machine to be able to pull the wreckage from the water," Ohagwu said. "What we see is just body parts and the clothes littered everywhere. Passengers' clothes littered everywhere. Body parts floating in the water." The commissioner confirmed that no survivors had been found and that the recovery of the wreckage remained in progress.
The state government's deployment of swamp buggies was intended to overcome the limitations that conventional vehicles and boats faced in reaching the wreckage. Commissioner Ajaka explained that the aircraft had sunk deep into the swamp due to the force of the impact, and that specialised equipment was required to access the site. "The swamp buggy has been deployed. Has been ordered to go there. Because that's what's needed now," he said. "It's not something that you can... It's not just a vehicle that will go. Or a speedboat that will just go." An amphibious excavator, described as a heavy-duty machine capable of evacuating the wreckage from the 30-metre-deep swampy terrain, arrived in Igbokoda 26 hours after the crash. The state government also deployed medical personnel and ambulances from hospitals in Ilaje and Okitipupa Local Government Areas on the directive of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, with medical teams placed on alert while military personnel and other emergency responders continued recovery operations.
The National Emergency Management Agency reinforced the operation by activating a specialised technical search-and-rescue team. The Director-General, Mrs Zubaida Umar, directed the Director of Search and Rescue, Air Commodore Bature Usman, to lead the team to the location to enhance coordination and provide additional operational support. "This deployment is aimed at enhancing coordination and providing additional operational support to the responders already working at the swampy crash site," Umar said. She expressed deep sadness over the incident and extended condolences to the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, the Nigerian Air Force family and the families affected by the crash.
The human toll of the tragedy has been laid bare in the accounts of local residents who rushed to the scene. Akintan Toluwalase, a local, said they saw human body parts but could do nothing because the plane was already submerged in the swamp. Abel Bamidele, another resident, said some community members swam into the water to search for survivors but could not locate anyone. The traditional ruler of Igbokoda, the Olu of Igbokoda, Oba Afolabi Odidiomo, said he initially feared the crash involved a commercial aircraft because of the potential number of casualties. "Our first thanks to Almighty God is that it did not happen inside the town; otherwise, the casualties would have been too many," he said.
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. He 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. Governor Aiyedatiwa, who had earlier confirmed that no survivor had been found, described the crash as a painful development, particularly because it occurred in his home state and local government. He ordered the State Emergency Management Agency, the Ministry of Health, and relevant security agencies to mobilise and offer full logistical and human support to the Nigerian Air Force and other emergency response agencies, and urged residents to remain calm and cooperate with officials working at the scene.
The crash site, located about 500 metres east of the Naval Base, has been cordoned off by military personnel, with access strictly restricted. As the recovery operation enters its second day, the deployment of heavy equipment and specialised teams offers the best hope of reaching the submerged wreckage and recovering the remains of the 32 people who lost their lives. For the families of the victims, the wait for news has been agonising, and the confirmation that no survivors were found has brought a devastating certainty to a tragedy that has cast a pall over Ondo State and the Nigerian military. The investigation ordered by the President will seek to determine what caused the aircraft to lose contact and plunge into the swamp, while the recovery teams on the ground continue their painstaking work in one of the most challenging terrains imaginable.
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