oluwatosin oyeniyi Lagos, Nigeria — The Nigerian Air Force has revised the death toll from Monday’s military aircraft crash in Ondo State to 25, correcting an earlier figure of 32 people believed to have been aboard the plane.
The Air Force said Tuesday that all 25 people on board its ATR-42 aircraft, designated NAF 931, died in the crash and that no survivors had been found.
The victims comprised five crew members and 20 passengers, according to Air Force spokesman Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame. The service also released the names of those killed.
Aircraft Crashed During Routine Mission
The aircraft was travelling from Benin City to Lagos on a routine mission when it crashed in the Igbokoda area of Ilaje Local Government Area in Ondo State.
Air traffic controllers lost contact with the aircraft at about 8:13 GMT on Monday before it was located near a naval base in the swampy coastal area. Search-and-rescue teams were immediately deployed, with boats used to reach the crash site.
The exact cause of the accident has not been established.
The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, has ordered a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash. President Bola Tinubu has also directed an investigation.
Civilians Were Among the Victims
Although the aircraft was operated by the Nigerian Air Force, the passenger list included civilians as well as military personnel.
The Air Force’s official list identified Mrs Ezeh Nneka, Godstmine Tarabina, Joy Micheal, Sunday Micheal, Ukeme David and Gideon Omotola among those killed. Defence Headquarters separately confirmed that family members were travelling on the aircraft.
The deaths have therefore affected both military families and civilians connected to those aboard the flight.
National Mourning Declared
President Tinubu declared three days of national mourning following the crash, ordering flags to be flown at half-mast.
He described the incident as a painful moment for the armed forces and the country and expressed condolences to the families of the victims.
The crash is among Nigeria’s most serious military aviation accidents in recent years and has renewed attention on the safety and operational demands placed on the country’s military aircraft.
A History of Military Aviation Accidents
Nigeria’s armed forces have experienced several fatal aircraft accidents over the past decade.
In May 2021, then-Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru and 10 other military personnel died when a Nigerian Air Force aircraft crashed while approaching Kaduna airport.
In August 2015, a Nigerian military aircraft crashed into a residential building in Kaduna, killing all seven people aboard.
Earlier that month, a military helicopter crashed into a lagoon in Lagos, killing six people, including its American pilot.
These previous incidents have repeatedly raised questions about aircraft maintenance, operating conditions, weather and aviation safety within Nigeria’s armed forces. The current investigation is expected to determine whether any similar factors contributed to Monday’s crash.
Investigation Now Underway
The immediate priority is establishing what happened to NAF 931 before it went down.
The Air Force has urged the public to avoid speculation and the circulation of unverified information while investigators work to establish the cause.
The discrepancy over the number of people initially reported aboard the aircraft also underlines the importance of establishing a definitive account of the flight manifest. The Air Force’s revised figure of 25 is now the official number.
For the families of those killed, however, the correction does little to lessen the scale of the loss.
As Nigeria observes three days of mourning, attention will now turn to the investigation and whether its findings lead to measures that can prevent another military aviation tragedy.
