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The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has revealed that the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) plane that crashed in the Igbokoda area of Ondo State was carrying 25 passengers and 7 crew members.
Confirming the incident on Monday, the minister said the plane, with tail number NGR 931, disappeared after air traffic controllers lost contact with it at around 09:13.
Keyamo said the plane was en route to Lagos from Benin when all attempts to communicate it via radio proved unsuccessful.
He said further information confirmed that the plane crashed near the Naval Base in Igbokoda and the wreckage had been recovered.
Initial information indicates there were 25 passengers and 7 crew members on board, Keyamo said.
The minister did not provide further details regarding the condition or identity of the people on board, as search and rescue operations were still ongoing.
Keyamo noted that the control and regulation of military aircraft is beyond the remit of the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority.
But he said he had spoken to the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, and promised full cooperation and assistance to the ministry in the ongoing search and rescue efforts. “Further information regarding this unfortunate incident will be provided later,” he said.
The plane crashed at Igbokoda, the headquarters of Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, on Monday.
A community leader confirmed the accident, but said residents did not yet know the exact location or other details.
He said: “Yes, that’s true. A helicopter crashed in Igbokoda, Ondo State. But we don’t know the exact location and other details.”
But the NAF confirmed the incident on Monday in a statement, saying it had activated search and rescue operations immediately after the crash involving the ATR-42 aircraft.
