Investigators still have not established what brought down a Nigerian Air Force plane that killed 25 people in a swamp in Ondo State on Monday, Oct. 5, 2026.
The aircraft, an ATR-42, was flying a routine mission from Benin City, Edo State, to Lagos. It lost contact with air traffic controllers at about 9:13 a.m. The wreckage was found near a naval base at Igbokoda, in the Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, southern Nigeria. The crash is the deadliest Nigerian military aircraft crash in more than three decades.
Five crew members and 20 passengers were aboard. None survived.
Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo gave an initial toll of 32. The Air Force clarified that count on Tuesday, Oct. 6, saying 25 people were aboard. Nineteen of them were listed with Air Force ranks, and the other six appear to be civilians. The service has released the names of all 25 victims.
The Air Force has identified the aircraft as NAF 931, from its 81 Air Maritime Group in Benin City. The ATR-42 does mainly maritime patrol and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance work, with added search-and-rescue and limited transport capability.
Swamp Buggies Join the Dig
Crews have struggled to reach the plane. Igbokoda is a riverine community close to the Atlantic coast, and the swampy ground around it has complicated access to the wreckage. Banji Ajaka, the state health commissioner, said the aircraft sank deep into the swamp and that conventional vehicles and boats cannot easily reach it.
Ondo Gov. Lucky Aiyedatiwa has deployed two amphibious swamp buggies because searchers have not located the main body of the aircraft. Excavation is continuing, and crews have brought in more machinery to remove the remaining parts. The military, the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau, the Navy and the Ondo State Government are all taking part in the recovery.
As of Wednesday, Oct. 7, crews had recovered only fragments of the aircraft and had begun a sonar survey of the site, according to Vanguard. Searchers had not found the flight recorders by Oct. 7. Vanguard reported that, as of Friday, Oct. 9, the Air Force had begun efforts to recover the flight data and cockpit voice recorders, and that the main wreckage still had not been excavated.
Ondo Commissioner for Environment Tob Loko said Oct. 15: “Up to now, we have not been able to recover a full body. All that we could get is body parts. And some of the body parts up to now have not been recovered.”
Fumigation Ordered for Igbokoda River
Aiyedatiwa has ordered the immediate fumigation of the Igbokoda river after residents complained of a stench, Commissioner for Information Idowu Ajanaku said in a statement on Wednesday, Oct. 14. The governor also ordered the distribution of potable water, nose masks and health kits. Loko said Oct. 15 that the state will carry out air and water quality tests at the site.
Oba Afolabi Odidiomo, the traditional ruler of Igbokoda, said of the river: “That is the water we fetch to cook. It is the water we drink from. It is the water we use for our day-to-day life. And if it is polluted today, the stench comes from dead bodies. It has infested the water.”
Tinubu Orders Flags at Half-Mast
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu declared three days of national mourning and directed that national flags fly at half-mast across the country. That mourning period is now over.
Tinubu sent condolences to the families of the dead personnel, to the air force and to the wider Armed Forces of Nigeria in a condolence message issued Oct. 5 by his special adviser on information and strategy, Bayo Onanuga. “This is a painful moment for our Armed Forces and for the entire nation,” Tinubu said. He said the sacrifice of air force personnel would not be forgotten and described them as putting their lives on the line each day to secure the country.
The president cited the service’s missions against armed groups and its role in countering terrorism and regional instability as he mourned the crew. He also commended the service for quickly activating search and rescue after the aircraft went down. Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, the chief of air staff, briefed him on the crash.
Tinubu directed the air force to carry out an immediate and thorough investigation to prevent similar tragedies. The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau said Monday, Oct. 5, that it would not investigate because the aircraft was military, leaving the inquiry to the Air Force unless the service formally requests help. The Air Force has formed a high-level team of military and civilian safety experts and says it will make more details public as the investigation progresses.
Aiyedatiwa said after visiting the site that residents who witnessed the crash reported a sound suggesting an engine problem. He said the aircraft was heading toward the community and then appeared to change direction, crashing about 200 metres away. He suggested the pilot may have steered it away from the populated area.
Senate Panel Seeks Full Briefing
The Nigerian Senate sent condolences to the air force and to the bereaved families. Sen. Osita Ngwu, chairman of the Senate Committee on Air Force, called the crash a deeply painful episode for the country. “This is a huge loss to our nation,” he said.
Ngwu said lawmakers are grieving both the service members who died on duty and the other people aboard. His committee plans to meet air force leadership for a full briefing on the circumstances. He urged Nigerians to rely on official information rather than unverified accounts.
Edo Gov. Monday Okpebholo mourned Squadron Leader Mahmoud Idanegbe Aburime, a pilot with more than 4,000 flying hours, in a condolence message on Oct. 14. “As Governor of Edo State, I mourn the loss of one of our own. My thoughts and prayers are with his wife, daughter, parents and everyone affected by this tragedy,” Okpebholo said.
The official account remains the same while the inquiry continues: a routine domestic flight, radio contact lost mid-morning, the aircraft found in a swamp and no survivors. The cause is still the central unanswered question for the service and for the waiting families.