A Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 aircraft with 32 people on board has crashed near the Naval Base in Igbokoda, Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, confirmed the incident on Monday, saying contact with the aircraft, with tail number NGR 931, was lost at about 9:13 a.m. while it was on a routine flight from Benin to Lagos.
According to the minister, air traffic controllers alerted authorities after all efforts to establish radio contact with the aircraft failed.
“Subsequently, information confirmed that the military aircraft had crashed close to the Naval Base in Igbokoda, Ondo State. The wreckage has been located and search and rescue operations are ongoing,” Keyamo said in a statement.
He disclosed that preliminary information indicated that 25 passengers and seven crew members were on board.
The Nigerian Air Force has also confirmed ownership of the aircraft. The NAF spokesman, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, said the aircraft was on a routine mission when the accident occurred on Monday, October 5, 2026, and that search and rescue operations had been activated in coordination with relevant emergency agencies.
Keyamo clarified that the control and regulation of military aircraft are outside the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, but said he had spoken with the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, and pledged the ministry’s full cooperation.
