SOWORE VISITS ONDO CRASH SITE, DEMANDS INDEPENDENT PROBE

African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has called for an independent investigation into the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) aircraft crash in Igbokoda, Ondo State, insisting that personnel responsible for maintenance and procurement should not investigate the incident.

Sowore made the call during a visit to the crash site on Friday, sharing a video of the visit on X on Saturday . In the video, the activist criticised the handling of the wreckage and victims’ remains, calling for all parts of the aircraft to be recovered and examined by independent experts to determine the cause of the crash.

“BRING OUTSIDERS”

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Sowore was unequivocal in his demand for external oversight. “Those who are responsible for maintenance, procurements should not be the ones investigating what happened. We should bring outsiders,” he said .

He questioned how the crash site and wreckage had been handled, warning that the process could undermine efforts to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident.

“That’s not how to investigate accidents. How it is done all over the world is that every part of that aircraft must be retrieved and pinned back together by experts because if there had been a bomb blast, how would we know?” Sowore said.

The activist also expressed anger over the loss of lives, insisting that the incident should not be treated as a routine occurrence.

“Something went wrong, and it’s fundamental. And we are just looking at this and saying, oh, they have visited. No, it’s not a matter of the visitors. It’s a matter of the passengers. People died,” he said.

A PERSONAL JOURNEY TO GRIEF

In a post accompanying the video, Sowore said he travelled from Abuja to Akure on Friday before proceeding to Igbokoda, where he met and marched alongside affected community members and grassroots leaders .

He added that one of the victims had recently married, lamenting the loss of lives in the crash. The Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 aircraft, with registration number NAF 931, crashed in Igbokoda, the headquarters of Ilaje Local Government Area, on October 5 while on a routine mission from Benin City, Edo State, to Lagos.

The Air Force confirmed that all 25 people on board, comprising five crew members and 20 passengers, died in the crash.

Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, has said the military would conduct a thorough investigation and ensure all relevant evidence is secured, documented and examined before any conclusions are reached about the cause of the accident.

WHY IT MATTERS

Sowore’s intervention raises a critical question: can an institution investigate itself?In aviation crash investigations globally, the principle of independence is sacrosanct. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards emphasise that investigations must be free from interference by those whose actions or decisions are under scrutiny.

When the Nigerian Air Force investigates its own crash, the question of conflict of interest becomes unavoidable. Procurement decisions, maintenance protocols, and operational command all fall under the same institution now tasked with finding out what went wrong.

Sowore’s call for outsiders is not merely political theatre. It is a demand grounded in international best practice. The victims and their families deserve answers. And those answers are best found by those with no stake in the outcome.

ValidViewNetwork reports that the Air Force has pledged a thorough investigation. Whether that investigation will be truly independent remains to be seen.