All 25 military personnel and crew aboard a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) ATR-42 surveillance aircraft died on Monday morning when the plane crashed in Igbokoda, Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State.
The maritime patrol and transport aircraft, bearing tail number NAF 931, went down in a swampy axis near a local naval facility while conducting a routine mission from Benin City, Edo State, to Lagos.
According to the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, air traffic controllers lost contact with the aircraft shortly after takeoff at 09:13 local time.
"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," Keyamo announced on Monday. "The wreckage has been located and search and rescue operations are ongoing".
Initial operational estimates released by federal authorities had placed the manifest at 32 individuals. However, an official casualty update released Tuesday morning by NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, verified that 25 persons—comprising 20 passengers and five crew members—were aboard the flight, confirming there were no survivors.
The flight crew was commanded by Squadron Leader M.I. Aburime alongside co-pilots Squadron Leader A.P. Man-Ugwueje and Flight Lieutenant I.S. Bako, accompanied by two aircraft technicians. The passengers comprised commissioned officers, non-commissioned personnel, and technical staff.
The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, described the loss as an overwhelming tragedy for the armed services and instituted an inquiry to establish the cause of the disaster.
"This is a deeply painful moment for the Nigerian Air Force and the nation," Aneke stated, assuring bereaved families of the service's complete institutional and welfare support. "The Nigerian Air Force will continue to provide timely and verified updates as the investigation progresses and urges the public to refrain from speculation and the circulation of unverified information".
The aircraft involved was one of two ATR-42 maritime patrol variants delivered to Nigeria between 2009 and 2010 by Italian manufacturer Alenia Aeronautica under a $73 million reconnaissance procurement agreement.
The NAF has opened a formal condolence register at its headquarters in Abuja as joint recovery teams secure the wreckage and retrieve flight telemetry data from the crash site.
