The Federal Government has confirmed that 32 people were aboard a Nigerian military aircraft that crashed near the Naval Base in Igbokoda, Ondo State, on Monday, as search and rescue operations continue.
CDA News Nigeria reports that the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, disclosed in a post on X. He said air traffic controllers informed him that the aircraft, with tail number NGR 931, disappeared from radio communication at about 9:13 am while flying from Benin to Lagos, and that all efforts to reach it failed.
Keyamo said later information confirmed that the aircraft crashed close to the Naval Base in Igbokoda, adding that its wreckage had been found. Preliminary information, he said, indicated that 25 passengers and seven crew members were on board.
CDA News Nigeria gathered that the Nigerian Air Force said the aircraft was on a routine mission from Benin to Lagos. Its spokesman, Ehimen Ejodame, said search and rescue operations were being carried out in coordination with relevant authorities and emergency response agencies. The Ondo State Police Command also confirmed the crash, saying details were still emerging.
The minister stressed that the control and regulation of military aircraft fall outside the authority of his ministry and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority. He said he had spoken with the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, and pledged his ministry’s full cooperation and assistance in the rescue effort.
At the time of filing, the authorities had not announced how many people had survived or died, and no cause of the crash had been given. Relatives and the public are advised to rely on official statements.
CDA News Nigeria will update this story as more information emerges.
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