Revision of flight manifest

The Nigerian Air Force confirmed on Tuesday that 25 people died when a military transport plane crashed in southwestern Ondo State on 5 October 2026. Air Force spokesperson Ehimen Ejodame announced that the aircraft carried five crew members and 20 passengers, confirming that search teams found no survivors at the site. The official death toll revised an initial statement released on Monday by Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo, who had reported that 32 people were on board the flight. The verified manifest released by the military confirmed that the flight crew included Captain MI Aburime, co-pilots AP Man-Ugwueje and IS Bako, and two aircraft technicians. Defence Headquarters spokesperson Samaila Uba stated that the 20 passengers comprised 13 additional military personnel alongside civilian family members.

Flight path and crash site

The aircraft, an ATR-42 twin-turboprop operating as flight NAF 931, departed from Benin City in Edo State on a routine transport mission to Lagos. Aviation authorities recorded that the plane disappeared from radar screens at approximately 9:00 a.m. local time (7:00 a.m. GMT). It came down roughly 200 kilometres from Lagos, about halfway along its planned flight path. The wreckage settled in a forested and swampy area near a river close to a naval base in the town of Igbokoda, an oil-producing region in Ondo State. In the Nigerian military, the twin-engine ATR-42 platform is regularly used for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and personnel transport.

Emergency response and recovery

Residents in the riverside community of Igbokoda were alerted to the accident on Monday morning by a loud sound that shook the area. Eyewitness Akinbulejo Pius stated that the noise resembled a thunder strike and noted that the plane cleared trees before coming down and partially sinking into the river. Local villagers initially navigated the swampy waterways in wooden canoes to search for wreckage, clothing, and victims. Military personnel from the nearby naval base and emergency management agencies later took charge of recovery operations, supported by a search helicopter. Local resident Hosea Maha recounted finding scattered debris and human remains before alerting naval officers stationed nearby.

We immediately reported the situation to the naval officers.

Official response and inquiry

Following the accident, President Bola Tinubu declared three days of national mourning and directed flags across the country to fly at half-mast. The presidency ordered the Nigerian Air Force to conduct an immediate and exhaustive inquiry into the factors that caused the ATR-42 to go down. Chief of the Air Staff Sunday Kelvin Aneke offered condolences and pledged institutional support to the families of all victims. Search and recovery teams continued operations at the riverbank for a second day on Tuesday to retrieve remains and structural parts, while the technical cause of the crash remains under investigation.

I have directed the Nigerian Air Force to immediately commence a thorough investigation into the cause of the crash to prevent future occurrences.