Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has said no survivor has been found following the crash of a Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 aircraft in Igbokoda, Ilaje Local Government Area of the state, as he disclosed that a technical or mechanical fault could have caused the aircraft to lose communication before crashing.
The governor spoke on Monday night during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, hours after the aircraft went down in a swampy area near the Naval Base in Igbokoda.
The aircraft, with tail number NGR 931, was on a routine mission from Benin, Edo State, to Lagos when communication with air traffic controllers was lost.
NO SURVIVOR FOUND
Aiyedatiwa said information available to him indicated that rescuers had not found anyone alive at the crash site. He said residents, security personnel, emergency responders and local officials joined the search after the aircraft crashed in the difficult swampy terrain.
According to the governor, search teams recovered parts of the aircraft, identity cards and military uniforms from the crash site. He described the incident as particularly painful because it occurred in his home state and his home local government.
The governor said the available information at the time of his interview indicated that there was no survivor.
32 PEOPLE WERE ON BOARD
Preliminary information released by aviation authorities indicated that 32 people were aboard the aircraft, comprising 25 passengers and seven crew members.
The Nigerian Air Force subsequently confirmed that the aircraft was an ATR-42 operating a routine Benin-to-Lagos mission. The aircraft disappeared from communication before the wreckage was located near the Naval Base in Igbokoda.
Search-and-rescue operations were immediately activated following the loss of contact.
TECHNICAL FAULT, NOT WEATHER?
Aiyedatiwa said he believed the available circumstances pointed towards a possible technical or mechanical problem rather than bad weather.
He explained that the aircraft was flying a relatively short route between Benin and Lagos and argued that severe weather would ordinarily have been considered before take-off.
The governor stressed, however, that his comments were based on information available to him and did not constitute an official determination of the cause of the crash.
The actual cause remains subject to investigation.
HOW THE CRASH UNFOLDED
According to Aiyedatiwa, residents around Igbokoda heard a loud sound before seeing the aircraft descend into the swampy area. The Nigerian Navy initially moved cautiously towards the area because responders needed to determine whether there had been a fire or explosion.
Once the immediate danger had been assessed, personnel moved towards the crash location. The Ondo State Emergency Management Agency, local residents, Amotekun personnel and other responders also joined the search effort.
AIYEDATIWA ORDERS STATE SUPPORT
Following the crash, Aiyedatiwa directed relevant state agencies to support the search-and-rescue operation and cooperate with federal authorities and security agencies.
The governor’s intervention included mobilising emergency and health-related resources to assist at the crash site. The terrain around Igbokoda presented additional difficulties because the aircraft came down in a swampy area.
The state government consequently worked alongside federal agencies involved in aviation, military and emergency response operations.
INVESTIGATION WILL DETERMINE CAUSE
The circumstances surrounding the crash remain under investigation. The Nigerian Air Force has not publicly established a definitive cause of the accident.
President Bola Tinubu has ordered a thorough investigation into the crash and declared three days of national mourning for the military personnel who died. The President also directed that national flags be flown at half-mast in honour of the victims.
The investigation will be expected to examine the aircraft’s technical condition, maintenance history, flight data, communication records, weather conditions, crew actions and other factors that may have contributed to the crash.
A TRAGEDY FOR THE MILITARY
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Aiyedatiwa described the victims as military personnel whose duties involved protecting Nigeria’s territorial integrity. The crash has therefore raised concerns not only about the immediate loss of lives but also about aviation safety within military operations.
For the families of those aboard the aircraft, the immediate concern is the recovery and identification of victims, while investigators face the task of establishing exactly what happened before the aircraft disappeared from communication.
At the time of Aiyedatiwa’s statement, no survivor had been located, while recovery operations and investigations continued, ValidViewNetwork reports.
The tragedy underscores the importance of a transparent technical investigation that establishes the sequence of events without relying on speculation. Until the investigation is completed, possible mechanical failure, weather or any other explanation should remain treated as a line of inquiry rather than a confirmed cause.