A Nigerian Air Force aircraft crashed in southwestern Nigeria on Monday while carrying out what authorities described as a routine mission, killing all 32 people aboard.
The aircraft, carrying 25 passengers and seven crew members, came down near Igbokoda in Ondo state shortly after 9am local time, according to President Bola Tinubu’s office and the Nigerian Air Force.
The flight was travelling from Benin City to Lagos, Nigeria’s economic hub, when the crash occurred. Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo said the aircraft went down near a naval base.
Tinubu ordered an immediate investigation into the accident, seeking to establish what caused the crash and prevent similar incidents in the future.
The aircraft was identified by Tinubu and Keyamo as an ATR-42, a twin-engine turboprop aircraft. The manufacturer says the aircraft family can accommodate between 30 and 50 passengers, depending on its configuration.
Emergency teams were deployed to the crash site, which is in an area of waterways and swampy terrain.
Video footage circulating on social media showed people gathered near a river as rescuers searched the area by boat.
The location presented additional challenges for those responding to the accident, with rescue personnel operating around waterways close to the crash site.
Tinubu’s office confirmed that everyone aboard the aircraft died.
“The president extends his deepest condolences to the family of the 25 passengers and seven crew members involved,” the statement said.
The president also ordered the Nigerian Air Force to begin an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash.
He said he had “directed the Nigerian Air Force to immediately commence a thorough investigation into the cause of the crash to prevent future occurrences”.
Authorities have yet to publicly establish what caused the aircraft to go down.
Nigeria’s minister of aviation posted on microblogging site X, “NFORMATION ON CRASH OF A MILITARY AIRCRAFT
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, enroute Lagos from Benin at 0913 hours earlier today. All efforts to raise the aircraft on radio proved abortive.
Subsequently information however confirmed that the military aircraft has crashed close to the Naval Base in Igbokoda, Ondo State. The wreckage has been located and search and rescue operations are ongoing.
Preliminary information suggests that there were 25 passengers and 7 crew members on board.
Whilst the control and regulation of military aircraft are completely outside the authority of the Ministry of Aviation, and Civil Aviation Authority, I have just spoken to the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke and pledged our cooperation and assistance in the search and rescue efforts ongoing.
Further information on this unfortunate incident will be made available subsequently.”
Residents living close to Igbokoda reported hearing the aircraft go down.
Dayo Akinte, a 39-year-old firewood seller who lives roughly a kilometre from the crash site, told AFP she initially mistook the sound for thunder.
She said a person who was fishing in the nearby swamp alerted the naval base and residents after discovering the crash.
Akinte also said several aircraft had flown over the area after the accident as rescue and response efforts continued.
The crash occurred in Ilaje, an oil-producing area of Ondo state in southern Nigeria. Igbokoda is situated within the region, which contains extensive waterways and wetlands.
(With AFP inputs)
