On Wednesday, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State visited the crash site of the Nigerian Air Force aircraft at Igbokoda, the headquarters of Ilaje Local Government Area. He received briefings on the search and recovery operation being conducted by various agencies, including the Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Air Force, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), and State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA). The governor ordered the sustained search for the victims and the wreckage of the aircraft.
The aircraft, an ATR-42 with tail number NAF 931, crashed in the swamp on Monday while reportedly on a special mission from Benin to Lagos. The governor said the difficult terrain had continued to hamper the operation, noting that the state government had deployed two amphibious machines, popularly known as swamp buggies, to create wider access to the crash location and facilitate the movement of boats, rescue equipment, and personnel.
According to the governor, divers from the Nigerian Navy and members of the local community were continuing the underwater search, particularly in the deeper portions of the swamp where the aircraft was believed to have gone down. The operation was being conducted under difficult environmental conditions, with the swamp characterised by soft terrain and deep mud, making it difficult for rescuers and heavy equipment to gain access to the crash location.
The Nigerian Navy has deployed specialised underwater sonar equipment to locate the submerged aircraft and provide a clearer picture of the crash site. The deployment followed an assessment of the crash site by the Flag Officer Commanding, Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Abubakar Abdullahi Mustapha, and the Air Officer Commanding, Logistics Command, Nigerian Air Force, Air Vice Marshal Abubakar Abdul Suleh.
Governor Aiyedatiwa said the pilot of the ill-fated aircraft may have averted a bigger tragedy by manoeuvring the aircraft away from the community before it crashed. Accounts from residents who witnessed the incident indicated that the aircraft appeared to be descending towards the community, amid what sounded like an engine problem, before the pilot changed its direction. The aircraft eventually crashed about 200 metres from the community and went into the swamp.
The governor expressed gratitude that the aircraft did not come down within the populated area, saying the consequences could have been more devastating if it had crashed among residents. He described the incident as a “national tragedy”, commiserating with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Nigerian Air Force, and families of the military personnel involved in the crash.
Parts of human bodies, clothing, and jackets believed to belong to Air Force personnel, as well as fragments of the aircraft, had so far been recovered from the crash area. The recovered items had been preserved for further investigation, while the search continued for the main wreckage and other victims. The search and recovery operation has brought together several government agencies, military formations, emergency responders, and members of the host communities.
Key points
- Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa orders sustained search for victims and wreckage of NAF aircraft that crashed in a swamp at Igbokoda.
- The search operation is being conducted by various agencies, including the Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Air Force, NEMA, and SEMA.
- The governor deployed two amphibious machines to facilitate the movement of boats, rescue equipment, and personnel in the difficult terrain.