The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, initially announced that 32 people were aboard a Nigerian military aircraft that crashed in Igbokoda, Ondo State.
The aircraft, identified by the tail number NGR 931, was travelling from Benin, Edo State, to Lagos when air traffic controllers lost contact with it at about 9:13 a.m. on Monday.
According to Keyamo, attempts to establish communication with the aircraft were unsuccessful before authorities received confirmation that it had gone down near the Naval Base in Igbokoda.
The minister said the wreckage had been located and that search and rescue teams had been deployed to the scene. His initial information indicated that 25 passengers and seven crew members were aboard the aircraft.
Keyamo also spoke with the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, and assured the Nigerian Air Force of the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development’s support for the rescue operation.
He clarified, however, that military aviation falls outside the regulatory jurisdiction of the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority.
The Nigerian Air Force subsequently confirmed that the aircraft was one of its ATR-42 planes and said it had been conducting a routine mission when the accident occurred. The service activated search and rescue operations in collaboration with relevant authorities and emergency agencies.
In a later update, the Nigerian Air Force gave a revised figure of 25 people aboard the aircraft, comprising 20 passengers and five crew members. Authorities subsequently reported that there were no survivors.
President Bola Tinubu has since ordered an investigation into the crash and declared a period of national mourning for the victims.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
