Everything to Know About the Nigerian Aircraft that Crashed in Ondo Swamp Killing Over 25
- A Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 aircraft with tail number NGR 931 disappeared from radar shortly after take-off from Benin City on Monday, October 5, 2026
- The aircraft, carrying 25 passengers and 7 crew members, crashed into a swampy creek in Igbokoda, Ondo State, making rescue efforts extremely difficult
- Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo confirmed the crash and said search and rescue operations were ongoing near a Naval Base in Igbokoda
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A Nigerian Air Force (NAF) ATR-42 transport aircraft carrying 32 people crashed into a swampy creek in Igbokoda, the headquarters of Ilaje Local Government Area in Ondo State, on Monday, October 5, 2026, after disappearing from radar shortly after departing Benin City.
The aircraft, identified by tail number NGR 931, was on a routine flight from Benin City, the Edo State capital, to Lagos when air traffic controllers lost contact with it at approximately 9:13 am.
Source: Twitter
A senior Air Traffic Controller, speaking anonymously because he was not authorised to comment on the matter, said the situation raised serious concerns.
"I must tell you that this is looking somehow shoddy. When the aircraft took off, we were in touch with it shortly afterward, but it disappeared from the radar. Efforts to reach it were unsuccessful," the source said.
According to PUNCH, the source added that personnel at the nearest reporting points in Okitipupa later reported hearing a loud bang, believed to be the sound of the crash. He described the sudden loss of communication as suspicious, noting the aircraft "just vanished until the crash."
"Almost immediately after it took off, we lost communication with it. There was no communication, nothing. And that makes it suspicious," he said, adding that details would become clearer as rescue and recovery operations progressed.
Aviation minister confirms crash
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development Festus Keyamo said air traffic controllers had alerted him to the aircraft's disappearance and later confirmed that the wreckage had been located near the Naval Base in Igbokoda.
"All efforts to raise the aircraft on radio proved abortive," Keyamo said, adding: "The wreckage has been located, and search and rescue operations are ongoing."
Keyamo confirmed the aircraft carried 25 passengers and seven crew members. The identities and condition of those on board had not been officially disclosed at the time of filing this report.
Rescue teams struggle to reach wreckage
The aircraft's descent into a swampy creek created significant challenges for rescue teams. Military officers from a nearby base led the operation, while local fishermen also assisted in reaching the site.
One eyewitness said: "It seems difficult to remove the wreckage because the plane forcefully entered into the swampy area."
A resident who gave his name only as Sola said the crash happened while it was drizzling that morning. "We heard a very loud sound at the area where the incident happened, but we couldn't get there because the place is a swampy area inside the creek," he said, adding that no one had been brought out of the wreckage, dead or alive, by the time he spoke.
NAF activates search and rescue
In a statement, NAF Director of Public Relations and Information Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame confirmed the service had activated an immediate search and rescue operation.
"The NAF is committed to ensuring the success of the ongoing Search and Rescue efforts. Further details will be communicated in due course," the statement read.
Efforts to recover the aircraft's black box were also under way as of the time of this report.
NAF releases names of 25 victims in Ondo plane crash
Legit.ng earlier reported that the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has confirmed that all 25 people on board its ATR 42 aircraft, designated NAF 931, perished when the plane came down in the Igbokoda area of Ondo State on October 6, 2026. The aircraft was carrying five crew members and 20 passengers on what was described as a routine mission from Benin to Lagos.
Source: Legit.ng
