Grief as Obidient, 4 Others Confirmed Among Dead Passengers of Ill-fated Nigerian Air Force Aircraft
- Prominent Obidient figure Serah Ibrahim shared a tribute naming five people she knew personally among those who died in the Ondo NAF crash
- Ibrahim revealed she had avoided news about the Monday crash until a conversation with her cousin, a Pilot Officer, confirmed she knew people on board
- One of the victims, Chikaodi, was days away from celebrating his birthday on October 13 when the aircraft went down
PAY ATTENTION: Find it fast with our new search feature at Legit.ng!
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over eight years of experience covering metro, government policies and international affairs.
Igbokoda, Ondo State - Influential Obidient movement figure Serah Ibrahim has publicly named five people she knew personally among those who died when a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) aircraft crashed in Igbokoda, Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, on Monday, October 5.
In a post shared on her verified X (formerly Twitter) account on Wednesday, October 7, Ibrahim paid tribute to Chikaodi, George Eledan, Aham Manchester, Ukeme Maradona and Brother Isaac, each of whom she remembered with personal recollections that brought the human cost of the tragedy into sharp focus.
Source: Twitter
Ibrahim stated that Chikaodi, whom she described as "a day 1 Obidient" who contributed greatly to the movement during the 2023 general elections, would have marked his birthday on Tuesday, October 13, just days away. 'Obidients' are staunch supporters and members of the grassroots political movement aligned with Peter Obi, the former Governor of Anambra State and Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
Ibrahim wrote on X:
"He (Chikaodi) should be celebrating another year in a few days from now."
Ibrahim recalls growing up in Air Force
Ibrahim, who is the daughter of an airman, said she had deliberately stayed away from all news coverage of the crash, overwhelmed by a sense of dread about whose names she might find. It was only after speaking with her cousin, who serves as a Pilot Officer, that she learnt people she knew were among those on board.
She described George Eledan, whom she called "Brother George the Shark", as an outstanding swimmer who had once worked as a lifeguard at the Air Force pool.
"If that was water the plane crashed, He would have been out, I just believe he would have been," she wrote.
Ibrahim recalled Aham Manchester fondly, noting that his nickname in school matched his actual surname.
"We called Aham Manchester in school, how cool was it that his actual name was Man U," she said, adding that she would joke with him about holding his wedding at Old Trafford and doing a Cristiano Ronaldo-style "Siu" celebration at the entrance.
She remembered Ukeme as someone who lived for football.
"All Ukeme wanted to do was play football. Very fine stubborn boy, anywhere they are having a competition, he's there to form Maradona," she wrote.
Brother Isaac, she described as calm and quietly caring.
"Brother Isaac was always calm and ever smiling. Smiles too cute for a military man, he always checks up on everyone," Ibrahim said.
NAF crash killed all 25 on board
The NAF aircraft, bearing tail number NGR 931, went down in the Igbokoda area of Ondo State while flying from Benin City, Edo State, to Lagos.
The aircraft carried 25 people in total: five crew members and 20 passengers. The NAF released the names of those on board and launched search-and-rescue operations following the crash.
Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, ordered a full investigation into the circumstances of the accident. President Bola Tinubu subsequently declared three days of national mourning.
Ibrahim said she still struggled to process the loss.
"I can't believe they can't even find any of them. Like nothing at all? What exactly happened to the plane?" she wrote. "I still refuse to believe this."
Read Serah Ibrahim's full X post on the Ondo air crash below:
See a post on X below showing Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo paying a condolence visit to Air Chief Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke at NAF Headquarters, Abuja, following the Ondo aircraft accident.
Eyewitness shares terrifying aircraft experience
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that a Nigerian lady who boarded the Air Peace flight that skidded off the runway at Port Harcourt Airport shared her experience.
In a trending post, the lady lamented that she came face to face with death and thought it would have been the end of her life.
Source: Legit.ng
