Military Aircraft Crashes in Ondo, 32 People Reportedly on Board

A military aircraft travelling from Benin to Lagos has crashed near the Naval Base in Igbokoda, Ondo State, after air traffic controllers lost contact with the aircraft on Monday morning.

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, disclosed the incident in a statement, saying air traffic controllers had earlier reported the disappearance of the aircraft with tail number NGR 931.

According to Keyamo, the aircraft was en route to Lagos from Benin when contact was lost at about 9:13 a.m.

“All efforts to raise the aircraft on radio proved abortive,” the minister said.

He added that subsequent information confirmed that the aircraft had crashed close to the Naval Base in Igbokoda, with the wreckage located as search and rescue operations continued.

Preliminary information indicated that 25 passengers and seven crew members were on board, bringing the reported number of people aboard the aircraft to 32.

Keyamo said the regulation and control of military aircraft fall outside the authority of the Ministry of Aviation and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority.

Despite this, he said he had spoken with the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, and pledged the ministry’s full cooperation and assistance with the ongoing search and rescue operation.

The minister said further information on the incident would be released as it becomes available.