06 October,2026 04:22 PM IST | Nigeria | mid-day online correspondent
The Nigerian Air Force said the aircraft was on a routine mission from Benin to Lagos when the accident occurred. PIC/X
A Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 aircraft crashed in Ondo state, killing 25 people on board, including civilians. No survivors were found after search-and-rescue teams scoured the crash site on Tuesday.
The Nigerian Air Force had earlier reported that 32 people - 25 passengers and seven crew - were on board the aircraft with President Bola Tinubu stating on Monday evening that all those on the aircraft had been killed. The air force, however, on Tuesday said that the aircraft had 25 people on board after accounting for all persons.
In one of Nigeria's worst air disasters in recent years, the ATR-42 twin-engine turboprop went down in a swampy area near a naval base in Ondo state on Monday.
"NAF 931 had 25 persons on board, comprising five crew members and 20 passengers", Air Force spokesman Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame said in a statement, adding: "No survivors have been found."
The Nigerian Air Force said the aircraft was on a routine mission from Benin to Lagos when the accident occurred. Search-and-rescue procedures were immediately activated, with response efforts conducted in coordination with relevant authorities to locate and account for all persons on board.
The five crew members were Squadron Leader MI Aburime, flight captain; Squadron Leader AP Man-Ugwueje, co-pilot; Flight Lieutenant IS Bako, co-pilot; Warrant Officer Abubakar A, aircraft technician; and Corporal Uguru HC, aircraft technician.
The passengers included Flight Lieutenant TL Lazarus, Flight Lieutenant M Akinloye, Flying Officer IM Adeshina, Master Warrant Officer Onwuka F, Master Warrant Officer Matini BA, Warrant Officer Nuhu FS, Flight Sergeant James RB, Flight Sergeant Mohammed AI, Sergeant Ani AE, Sergeant Izibenikien SI, Sergeant Alafuka C, Sergeant Mbadugha AN, Lance Corporal Ugwuba FC and Lance Corporal Eledan GE.
The other passengers were Mrs Ezeh Nneka, Godstmine Tarabina, Joy Micheal, Sunday Micheal, Ukeme David and Gideon Omotola.
Civilian family members were travelling aboard the plane. The list released by the Nigerian Air Force showed six names without a military rank prefix.
Major General Samaila Uba, spokesman for Defence Headquarters, said in a separate statement Tuesday that there were "some members of families on board".
The plane crashed near the town of Igbokoda, located in Ilaje, an oil-producing region in southern Nigeria.
The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, expressed condolences to the families of the personnel and passengers who lost their lives and assured the bereaved families of the Service's full support.
"This is a painful moment for our armed forces and for the entire nation," Tinubu said Monday, declaring three days of public mourning.
Tinubu and the military chiefs have ordered a probe into the accident. The Chief of the Air Staff has also directed a comprehensive investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding the accident.
"The aircraft was on a routine mission from Benin (city) to Lagos when the accident occurred," Ejodame said.
A video circulating on social media showed a small crowd gathered near a river while rescuers searched the area by boat.
The Nigerian Air Force urged the public to refrain from speculation and the circulation of unverified information while respecting the privacy and dignity of the affected families. A condolence register has also been opened at Headquarters Nigerian Air Force, Abuja, for senior government officials, members of the diplomatic corps, heads of security agencies and other well-wishers.
In May 2021, Nigeria's top-ranking army commander, Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru, and 10 other officers were killed when their plane crashed in bad weather while trying to land at northern Kaduna state airport.
Seven people died when a military plane crashed into a house in northern Nigeria, killing all those on board in August 2015.
Earlier that same month, a helicopter crashed into a lagoon in Lagos, killing six, including the American pilot.
(With AFP inputs)
