Photo by Saim Munib on Unsplash
A Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 aircraft crashed in the Igbokoda area of Ilaje Local Government Area in Ondo State, killing everyone on board. The plane, designated NAF 931 and also referred to by the registration NGR 931, went down while flying a routine mission from Benin City in Edo State to Lagos.
No survivors were found among those aboard the aircraft, the Nigerian Air Force said. The wreckage was located in a swampy area near the Naval Base in Igbokoda, according to aviation industry reporting citing officials.
Contact Lost Mid-Flight
Air traffic controllers lost contact with the aircraft at about 9:13 am local time, which corresponds to 08:13 GMT, Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, said. The aircraft was an ATR-42-500 operated by the 81 Air Maritime Group based in Benin City, and it was typically used for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and maritime patrol missions, according to aviation industry reporting citing Nigerian Air Force sources. Those operational details underscore the kind of work the crew regularly carried out before the fatal flight, missions that keep watch over Nigeria’s coastline and territorial waters.
Early reports put the death toll at 32, consisting of 25 passengers and 7 crew members. The Nigerian Air Force’s later official confirmation, however, listed 25 total victims made up of 5 crew members and 20 passengers, a figure attributed to Minister Keyamo and the Air Force itself. The discrepancy between the initial tally and the Air Force’s formal accounting reflects how quickly information shifted in the hours after the crash, as officials worked to verify exactly who had been on the flight manifest.
The Nigerian Air Force’s official statement, issued by Director of Public Relations and Information Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, confirmed that no survivors had been recovered from the wreckage. The five crew members killed were identified as Squadron Leader MI Aburime, who served as Flight Captain; Squadron Leader AP Man-Ugwueje and Flight Lieutenant IS Bako, both co-pilots; Warrant Officer Abubakar A; and Corporal Uguru HC, the Air Force said.
Military and Political Response
The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, called the incident “a deeply painful moment for the Nigerian Air Force and the nation.” Aneke ordered a full investigation into the crash and opened a condolence register at NAF Headquarters in Abuja, giving officers, officials and members of the public a formal way to record their grief and tributes to those who died.
President Bola Tinubu ordered an investigation into the crash as well, according to the Nigerian presidency. With both the Air Force’s top officer and the president calling for inquiries, the crash is likely to face scrutiny from multiple directions as authorities try to determine what caused the aircraft to go down during what was described as a routine flight.
Nigeria’s Senate President said he received the news with grief, describing it as the crash of a Nigerian Air Force ATR 42 aircraft near Igbokoda. His statement added to a wave of official mourning that followed the disaster, as word spread of the scale of the loss among both crew and passengers.
Investigation Ahead
The exact cause of the crash has not been determined, and the investigations ordered by Air Marshal Aneke and President Tinubu will likely examine the aircraft’s maintenance history, the conditions at the time of the flight, and the circumstances surrounding the loss of contact with air traffic controllers. The location of the wreckage in a swampy area near the Igbokoda Naval Base may complicate recovery and forensic efforts, given the terrain involved.
For now, the Nigerian Air Force has focused on confirming the identities of those killed and supporting grieving families. The condolence register opened at NAF Headquarters in Abuja stands as one visible sign of the institution’s effort to process a loss that touched both its flight crew and the passengers who were traveling that day.
The following is a summary of key details confirmed so far:
- Aircraft: Nigerian Air Force ATR-42-500, designated NAF 931 / NGR 931
- Route: Benin City, Edo State, to Lagos
- Contact lost: approximately 9:13 am local time (08:13 GMT)
- Crash site: Igbokoda area, Ilaje Local Government Area, Ondo State, near the Naval Base
- Confirmed toll: 25 victims — 5 crew, 20 passengers
- Earlier reported toll: 32 — 25 passengers, 7 crew
The crash marks a significant loss for the Nigerian Air Force, both in terms of personnel and the specialized maritime patrol aircraft itself. As investigators move forward, families of the victims and officials alike are left waiting for answers about what brought down a flight that began as a routine mission between two of Nigeria’s major cities. The coming weeks are expected to bring further details as the inquiry ordered by both military and civilian leadership proceeds.
