Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa says rescuers have found no survivors at the site where a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) plane crashed on Monday. The military has not yet confirmed the fate of the 32 people on board.
The ATR-42, tail number NGR 931, went down in a swamp in Igbokoda, the Ilaje Local Government headquarters. It had left Benin City for Lagos.
What Officials Have Said About Survivors
Aiyedatiwa spoke on Channels Television. He said the local government chairman called him at about 10:30am with the news.
Rescuers saw no fire at the scene, he said. They moved in to look for survivors but found none.
“No single life was saved up to this moment,” the governor said. He added that responders saw wreckage from the wings, identity cards and uniforms. Those items showed them it was a military plane.
The monarch of Igbokoda, Oba Afolabi Odidiomo, gave a similar account. His palace officials went to the site. He said most of the plane had sunk into the water, and he believes nobody survived.
The Oba said he was relieved the plane missed the town. Otherwise, he said, many more people would have died.
Still, neither the NAF nor the federal government has confirmed any deaths. The condition and identities of those on board remain officially undisclosed.
How the Plane Disappeared
Controllers lost contact with the aircraft at about 9:13am. Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo confirmed this. Radio calls to the crew went unanswered, he said.
Keyamo later announced that the wreckage lay near the Naval Base in Igbokoda. He said 25 passengers and seven crew members were aboard.
A senior air traffic controller spoke anonymously because he has no authority to brief the press. He said the crew spoke with controllers soon after take-off. Then the plane vanished from radar.
He called the silence suspicious. He said staff at reporting points in Okitipupa heard a loud bang. The military started search-and-rescue as soon as the plane went missing, he added.
Residents offered more clues. One said it was drizzling when the plane came down. Others said it had circled a few times as the rain grew heavier before it plunged. The NAF has not confirmed that account, and nobody has verified it independently.
Rescuers Battle Swamp Conditions
The crash site is waterlogged, which has slowed the rescue. Soldiers from a nearby base lead the effort. Police, emergency crews and local fishermen are working alongside them.
Residents say the plane drove deep into the mud. As a result, pulling out the wreckage has been hard.
Some people first thought a helicopter had crashed. Igbokoda is a coastal, oil-producing area, and aircraft are a common sight there. The NAF has since confirmed that the plane was a fixed-wing ATR-42. No official information links it to any oil-related operation.
NAF and Police Respond
NAF spokesman Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame said the Air Force launched search-and-rescue at once. He described the flight as a routine mission. The NAF promised more details later.
Ondo State Police spokesman DSP Abayomi Jimoh confirmed that detectives had opened an investigation. He asked residents to stay calm and avoid spreading rumours.
Tinubu Orders Investigation
President Bola Tinubu expressed sadness over the crash. His spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, said the President ordered the NAF to begin a full inquiry. The aim, he said, is to prevent a repeat.
The President sent condolences to the families of those on board. He also sent them to Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Kelvin Aneke and the entire Air Force.
“Their sacrifice will never be forgotten,” Tinubu said of the personnel. He praised the NAF for its quick rescue response. He also commended first responders and the Ondo State Government.
Aiyedatiwa also offered his sympathy. His office said the state had deployed relevant agencies to support the rescue. He said the loss felt more painful because the crash happened in his home local government.
Black Box Still Missing
Searchers had not found the flight recorder at the time of this report. Investigators say it could reveal flight data and cockpit conversations from the final minutes.
The National Safety Investigation Bureau says it stands ready to help recover and study the recorders, if the military asks.
Investigators will also examine the wreckage, radar records and weather data. They will review the plane’s maintenance history and the crew’s actions, too.
For now, officials have not established what caused the crash. The search for the black box continues.
