Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has said 25 passengers and seven crew members were aboard the military aircraft that crashed in Ondo State on Monday.
The aircraft, with registration number NGR 931, was travelling from Lagos to Benin, Edo State, when it disappeared from radar and crashed near the Naval Base in Igbokoda, Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State.
Keyamo disclosed this in a statement posted on his X account while giving an update on the incident.
He said air traffic controllers lost contact with the aircraft at about 9:13am after efforts to reach the crew by radio failed.
“I regret to inform the general public that Air Traffic Controllers have informed me of the disappearance of a military aircraft with tail number NGR 931, enroute Lagos from Benin at 0913 hours earlier today. All efforts to raise the aircraft on radio proved abortive,” Keyamo said.
“Subsequently information however confirmed that the military aircraft has crashed close to the Naval Base in Igbokoda, Ondo State. The wreckage has been located and search and rescue operations are ongoing. Preliminary information suggests that there were 25 passengers and 7 crew members on board.
“Whilst the control and regulation of military aircraft are completely outside the authority of the Ministry of Aviation and Civil Aviation Authority, I have just spoken to the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke and pledged our total cooperation and assistance in the search and rescue efforts ongoing. Further information on this unfortunate incident will be made available subsequently.”
The minister said the Ministry of Aviation and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority were ready to assist with the search and rescue operation, although military aircraft are outside their regulatory control.
The Ondo State Police Command also confirmed the crash and urged residents to remain calm.
Police spokesperson Abayomi Jimoh advised residents of Igbokoda and surrounding communities against sharing unverified information as authorities continued to gather details about the incident.
