Igbokoda, Ondo – A Nigerian Air Force plane with 32 people aboard went down on Monday close to a naval installation in Ondo State in the country’s southwest, officials said, triggering an urgent search-and-rescue response.
The ATR-42 military aircraft, bearing registration NGR 931, had been flying a routine route from Benin in Edo State toward Lagos when it vanished from radar screens around 9:13 a.m. Controllers were unable to re-establish radio contact, and later reports established that the aircraft had come down near the Naval Base in Igbokoda, within Ilaje Local Government Area.
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development Festus Keyamo reported that early information pointed to 25 passengers and seven crew members being on the flight. He confirmed the wreckage had been found and that rescue teams were already working at the location.
“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 to Lagos from Benin at 0913 hours earlier today. All efforts to raise the aircraft on radio proved abortive,” Keyamo stated. “Subsequently, information however confirmed that the military aircraft had crashed close to the Naval Base in Igbokoda, Ondo State. The wreckage has been located and search and rescue operations are ongoing.”
The Nigerian Air Force acknowledged ownership of the aircraft and announced it had launched an immediate search-and-rescue effort together with other relevant agencies. Air Force Director of Public Relations and Information Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame characterised the journey as a routine mission and indicated that additional information would follow later.
Keyamo emphasised that oversight of military flights does not fall under the Ministry of Aviation or the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority. He disclosed that he had contacted Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke and pledged the ministry’s complete support for the recovery work.
Residents in the area described hearing a sudden, thunder-like sound and said the aircraft clipped trees before landing in marshy ground opposite the naval base. Some local accounts referred to scattered debris, clothing and body parts at the site, but official confirmation of any casualties remained unavailable at the time of this report.
No further details have been released on the status of those aboard or the condition of the aircraft itself. Emergency teams continue their work at the crash scene while inquiries proceed.
Source : DW
