Chief of Army Staff, (COAS) Shaibu Waidi
Nigerian Army has mourned the 32 Nigerian Air Force (NAF) personnel killed in the aircraft crash in Ondo State, expressing solidarity with the families of the fallen servicemen and the entire Air Force community.
In a condolence message posted on its official Instagram handle, @hqnigerianarmy, the Army said Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu NAM, was mourning with the Chief of Air Staff, officers, airmen and airwomen of the NAF over the tragedy.
The Army said it stood with the Air Force at a difficult time and prayed for strength and comfort for the families of the deceased.
“May the souls of the departed gallant servicemen rest in eternal peace,” the statement read.
The condolence followed the crash of an ATR-42 aircraft, registration NGR 931, in a swampy area near the Naval Base at Igbokoda, Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, on Monday, October 5, 2026.
The aircraft was on a routine flight from Benin City, Edo State, to Lagos when air traffic controllers lost contact with it at about 9:13am.
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, said preliminary information showed that 25 passengers and seven crew members were on board.
President Bola Tinubu later confirmed that there were no survivors and declared three days of national mourning, directing that national flags be flown at half-mast across the country.
Search and rescue efforts were activated by the Air Force in conjunction with the National Emergency Management Agency, Ondo State Emergency Management Agency, the Nigerian Navy and other relevant agencies. The difficult riverine terrain around the crash site, however, posed a major challenge to recovery efforts.
Beyond the immediate loss of 32 lives, the crash also comes at a sensitive time for Nigeria’s security operations. The ATR-42 is among the aircraft platforms used by the NAF for maritime patrol, surveillance and intelligence-gathering missions, particularly around the Niger Delta and other coastal areas.
President Tinubu has ordered a thorough investigation into the crash, with the findings expected to help determine what went wrong and measures needed to prevent a recurrence.
