A military aircraft with 32 people on board has crashed in Igbokoda, Ondo State, after disappearing from radar while en route from Benin to Lagos.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, confirmed the incident in a statement, saying the aircraft, with registration number NGR 931, disappeared at about 9:13 a.m. after air traffic controllers were unable to establish radio contact with it.
Keyamo said subsequent information confirmed that the aircraft had crashed close to the Naval Base in Igbokoda, with the wreckage already located.
He added that search and rescue operations were ongoing, while preliminary information indicated that 25 passengers and seven crew members were on board.
“Preliminary information suggests that there were 25 passengers and seven crew members on board,” Keyamo said.
The minister, however, clarified that the control and regulation of military aircraft fall outside the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
He said he had spoken with the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, over the incident and pledged the ministry’s “total cooperation and assistance” to the ongoing search and rescue efforts.
“Further information on this unfortunate incident will be made available subsequently,” Keyamo added.
