Photo caption: NAF 931 aircraft before crash
*President Tinubu declares three days mourning
*Directs flags should be flown at half-mast throughout the country
*NAF to release the officers’ names after contacting their families
All the 25 passengers and seven crew members on board the Nigerian Air Force aircraft that crashed on Monday in Ondo State have been confirmed dead.
A statement by President Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information & Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, entitled “President Tinubu declares three-day mourning for Air Force personnel who died in aircraft crash”, noted that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has declared a three-day national mourning for Air Force personnel who died in the crash of a military plane Monday.
Photo caption: Tinubu mourns
President Tinubu, according to the statement has also directed that flags should be flown at half-mast throughout the country as a mark of respect to the officers.
President Tinubu had earlier expressed profound sadness over the crash of the Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 jet.
The accident occurred near a naval base in the Igbokoda area of Ondo State. The aircraft, carrying 25 passengers and seven crew members, was on a routine mission from Benin to Lagos when it crashed.
“This is a painful moment for our Armed Forces and for the entire nation. Our Air Force personnel put their lives on the line every day to secure Nigeria. Their sacrifice will never be forgotten,” President Tinubu declared in a condolence message to the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, and all officers, airmen, and airwomen of the Nigerian Air Force.
“The Chief of Air Staff has briefed me, and I have directed the Nigerian Air Force to immediately commence a thorough investigation into the cause of the crash to prevent future occurrences.
“I commend the Nigerian Air Force for activating an immediate search and rescue operation following the accident.”
The Air Force will release the officers’ names after contacting their families.
Photo caption: Omoyele Sowore
Grieving the tragedy, former Presidential candidate of African Action Congress and human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, took to his Facebook page and wrote: “I am deeply saddened by the tragic crash of the Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 aircraft near Igbokoda in Ondo State, carrying 25 passengers and seven crew members. Who are now presumably killed.
My heart goes out to the families and loved ones of everyone aboard this aircraft, and to the officers and personnel of the @NigeriaAirforce affected by this terrible tragedy.
“Beyond the tragedy itself, however, I am deeply concerned by what we have seen from the crash site. The videos and images emerging from the area raise serious questions about Nigeria’s emergency preparedness and our capacity to respond rapidly and effectively to major disasters.
“At a moment when every second matters, a country of more than 200 million people should have properly equipped, highly trained and rapidly deployable emergency-response teams capable of reaching difficult terrain with the equipment required for search, rescue and recovery.
“There must be a thorough and transparent investigation into what caused this crash. But we must also investigate the emergency response viz how quickly help arrived, what equipment was available, what obstacles responders encountered, and whether lives could have been saved with a better prepared system.
“A disaster is tragic. Being unprepared to respond to one makes the tragedy even more painful.
My thoughts remain with everyone aboard the aircraft, their families and the communities affected by this devastating incident.”
Premium Times report shows that until Monday’s crash, Nigeria operated two ATR-42-500MP aircraft, identified as NAF 930 and NAF 931. Both aircraft were configured primarily for maritime patrol and Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions. They can also perform search-and-rescue and limited transport duties.
The aircraft are operated by the NAF’s 81 Air Maritime Group based in Benin City, Edo State, and have also been deployed for military operations in the North-east.
The ATR-42s are fitted with surveillance equipment, including search radar and electro-optical sensors, which enable them to gather intelligence and monitor activities over land and Nigeria’s maritime domain.
NAF took delivery of the two ATR-42 aircraft from the Italian aerospace firm, Alenia Aeronautica, as part of a contract signed with the firm in March 2007.
The NAF received its first ATR-42, NAF 930, in December 2009 as part of a $73 million March 2007 deal with Alenia Aeronautica that included the delivery of two aircraft, crew training and logistics support. The second, NAF 931, was delivered four months later, in March 2010. The two aircraft are, therefore, at least 16 years old.
Installation and maritime patrol configuration of the NAF 930 were carried out at the Alenia facilities in Caselle in Italy before it was delivered to Nigeria. However, ten years after deployment and after completing 5,000 hours of operation supporting military operations, including against Boko Haram, the aircraft was sent to the Rheinland Air Service (RAS) facility in Germany in September 2019 for major maintenance and returned to Nigeria in July 2020.
The aircraft involved in the crash
The aviation minister identified the aircraft involved in Monday’s crash as NAF 931, the second aircraft in the 2007 deal.
Premium Times found that the NAF 931 was also sent to the RAS facility in Germany for maintenance in 2022 and returned to Nigeria in late 2024.
Mr Keyamo said air traffic controllers could not establish radio contact with the aircraft after it disappeared at about 9:13 a.m. after it commenced its Monday flight.
“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, en route from Lagos to Benin at 0913 hours earlier today,” the minister said.
