Military Aircraft With 32 People On Board Crashes In Ondo State

A military aircraft carrying 25 passengers and seven crew members has crashed near Igbokoda in Ondo State while travelling from Benin to Lagos. Air traffic controllers lost contact with the aircraft at about 9:13 GMT before authorities confirmed that it had crashed near a naval base. The wreckage has been located and search and rescue operations are underway. Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo said his ministry would support the rescue effort, while noting that military aviation operations fall outside the regulatory authority of the civilian aviation authorities.

A military aircraft carrying 25 passengers and seven crew members has crashed in Ondo State, southwestern Nigeria, after air traffic controllers lost contact with the aircraft while it was travelling from Benin to Lagos.
Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, confirmed the incident on Monday, saying search and rescue operations were underway after the aircraft was located near a naval base in Igbokoda.
The aircraft, identified by its tail number as NGR 931, was carrying a total of 32 people when communication with air traffic controllers was lost at about 9:13 GMT.

AIRCRAFT DISAPPEARS FROM AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL

According to Keyamo, air traffic controllers first alerted authorities after losing contact with the military aircraft during its journey from Benin towards Lagos.
The disappearance immediately raised concerns about the aircraft’s location and the safety of those on board.
Further information later confirmed that the aircraft had crashed close to the naval base in Igbokoda, a coastal community in Ondo State.
The wreckage has since been located, allowing emergency teams to begin search and rescue operations in the area.

SEARCH AND RESCUE OPERATION UNDERWAY

Authorities are now working to locate and assist the people who were on board the aircraft.
Keyamo said he had spoken with the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, following the incident and assured the Nigerian Air Force of the Aviation Ministry’s cooperation and assistance during the rescue operation.
The immediate priority is to establish the condition of all 32 people on board and provide emergency assistance where necessary.
Officials are also expected to secure the crash site and begin investigations into what caused the aircraft to go down.

WHY THE CRASH IS BEING TREATED AS A MILITARY MATTER

Keyamo clarified that the aircraft was a military aircraft and that the control and regulation of military aviation operations fall outside the authority of the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority.
This means that while the aviation authorities can provide assistance and cooperate with the rescue effort, the Nigerian military will have a central role in handling the incident and determining what happened.
The clarification is important because military aviation operations are governed separately from civilian commercial flights, which are regulated by Nigeria’s civilian aviation authorities.

INVESTIGATION BEGINS INTO CRASH

The immediate focus remains on the search and rescue operation and determining the condition of everyone who was on board.
Investigators will also need to establish why communication with the aircraft was lost and what happened between the time the aircraft left Benin and the discovery of the wreckage near Igbokoda.
Details about the aircraft’s mission, its condition before the crash and the circumstances surrounding the incident are expected to emerge as the authorities gather more information.
Keyamo said further information would be released as it becomes available.
The crash is likely to prompt a detailed investigation involving the Nigerian military and other relevant authorities. The findings will be important in determining the cause of the accident and whether any safety or operational issues need to be addressed.