The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has confirmed that 25 passengers and seven crew members were on board a military aircraft that crashed near the Naval Base in Igbokoda, Ondo State.
Keyamo disclosed this in a statement on his personal X account on Monday following information from Air Traffic Controllers about the disappearance of the aircraft, with tail number NGR 931, which was en route to Lagos from Benin.
According to the minister, the aircraft disappeared from radar at about 9:13 a.m. on Monday, with efforts to establish radio contact proving unsuccessful.
He said subsequent information confirmed that the aircraft had crashed close to the Naval Base in Igbokoda, adding that the wreckage had been located while search and rescue operations were ongoing.
“Preliminary information suggests that there were 25 passengers and 7 crew members on board,” Keyamo said.
The minister noted that the control and regulation of military aircraft were outside the authority of the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
He, however, said he had spoken with the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, and pledged the ministry’s cooperation and assistance in the ongoing search and rescue efforts.
“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,” he said.
Keyamo added that further information on the incident would be made available as it became available.
Meanwhile, Tribune Online reports that the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has activated an immediate search and rescue operation following an aircraft accident in the Igbokoda area of Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State.
The NAF, in a statement issued by its Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, said the accident involving an ATR-42 aircraft occurred on Monday, October 5, 2026.
Credit: Nigerian Tribune