Tinubu declares three-day mourning over Ondo NAF crash
President Bola Tinubu has declared three days of national mourning for Nigerian Air Force personnel involved in Monday’s military aircraft crash in Igbokoda, Ondo State.
The President also directed that national flags be flown at half-mast throughout the country during the mourning period as a mark of respect for the officers who lost their lives in the crash.
The Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 aircraft, with tail number NGR 931, crashed near the Naval Base in the Igbokoda area of Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State while on a routine mission from Benin, Edo State, to Lagos.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, said the aircraft disappeared from radar at about 9:13am after air traffic controllers lost contact with it. Preliminary information indicated that 25 passengers and seven crew members were on board, bringing the total number of occupants to 32.
The wreckage was subsequently located near the Naval Base in Igbokoda, with military personnel and other emergency responders deployed to the area for search and rescue operations.
No survivor has been reported from the crash, while efforts to recover the occupants and establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident are continuing.
In a statement by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu described the incident 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,” the President said.
Tinubu also directed the Nigerian Air Force to immediately commence a thorough investigation into the cause of the crash, with a view to preventing a recurrence.
He commended the Air Force for activating search and rescue operations and praised first responders and the Ondo State Government for their response at the crash site.
The Air Force has said the names of the personnel involved will be released after their families have been contacted.
The aircraft involved, NAF 931, is an ATR-42-500MP operated by the Nigerian Air Force for maritime patrol, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. It was one of two ATR-42 aircraft acquired by Nigeria under a 2007 contract with Italian aerospace firm Alenia Aeronautica.
Available reports indicate that NAF 931 was delivered to Nigeria in 2010 and was later sent to a maintenance facility in Germany in 2022 before returning to Nigeria in late 2024. It was therefore about 16 years old at the time of Monday’s crash.
The cause of the crash remains unknown. Authorities are expected to examine the aircraft’s maintenance history, flight data, weather conditions, communications with air traffic control and other factors as part of the investigation.
Additionally report / Photo: Nigerian Military Galley
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