Symbolic imageNigerian military aircraft crashes in Ondo state, all 32 aboard believed dead
A Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 crashed in Ondo state on Monday with 32 people aboard. All are believed dead.
The Nigerian Air Force said the aircraft was on a routine mission from Benin to Lagos when it crashed at Igbokoda. Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo said air traffic controllers lost radio contact at 9:13 a.m. on Monday, 5 October, and that the wreckage was found near the naval base. A statement from President Bola Tinubu's office names 25 passengers and seven crew and indicates that none survived. Al Jazeera, reporting earlier, said authorities had not yet confirmed any casualties.
Investigation ordered
Tinubu directed the Air Force to begin a thorough investigation into the cause of the crash. He also praised the immediate search and rescue response and the first responders and Ondo State government at the site.
Aircraft and its history
Keyamo identified the plane as NAF 931, one of two ATR-42-500MP maritime-patrol and surveillance aircraft delivered by Alenia Aeronautica, according to Premium Times. It arrived in March 2010, went to Germany for maintenance in 2022 and returned to Nigeria in late 2024.