President Bola Tinubu has expressed condolences over the deaths of 32 people aboard a Nigerian Air Force aircraft that crashed in Igbokoda, Ondo State, and directed the military to investigate the cause of the accident.
The aircraft, an ATR-42, was carrying 25 passengers and seven crew members when it crashed shortly after 9 a.m. on Monday while on a routine mission from Benin City to Lagos.
A military source confirmed that all 32 people on board died in the crash.
Presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, said Tinubu “extends his deepest condolences to the family of the 25 passengers and seven crew members involved, the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, and all officers, airmen and airwomen of the Nigerian Air Force.”
The Nigerian Air Force had earlier confirmed that the aircraft was on a routine mission from Benin to Lagos when the accident occurred and said search and rescue operations had been activated.
Reacting to the incident, Tinubu described the crash as a painful moment for the Armed Forces and the country.
“This is a painful moment for our Armed Forces and for the entire nation. Our Air Force personnel put their lives on the line every day to secure Nigeria. Their sacrifice will never be forgotten,” Tinubu was quoted as saying.
“I commend the Nigerian Air Force for activating an immediate Search and Rescue operation following the accident. I pray for the repose of the souls of the gallant officers and for Almighty God to grant their families and the Nigerian Air Force the fortitude to bear the unfortunate loss.
“I assure the Nigerian Air Force of the continued support of our administration as they continue their vital role in securing our nation. I also commend the swift response of first responders and the Ondo State Government at the crash site,” the President said.
Tinubu also directed the Nigerian Air Force to commence a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash.
“I also directed the Nigerian Air Force to immediately commence a thorough investigation into the cause of the crash to prevent future occurrences,” the President said.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, had earlier disclosed that the aircraft crashed near a naval base in Igbokoda.
The aircraft was identified as an ATR-42, a twin-engine turboprop aircraft capable of carrying between 30 and 50 passengers.
The crash occurred in the coastal community of Igbokoda, in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, where emergency responders and security personnel were deployed to the scene.
A video circulating on social media showed people gathered near a river as rescuers searched the area by boat.
A resident of the area, Dayo Akinte, a 39-year-old firewood hawker who lives about a kilometre from the crash site, said she heard a sound she initially thought was thunder around the time of the incident.
She said, “three aircraft have also been flying over the scene” since the crash.
According to her, a fisherman who was in the swamp raised the alarm and alerted the nearby naval base and residents of the town.
Igbokoda is located in Ilaje, an oil-producing area of southern Ondo State.
