Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has ordered the continued search for victims and the main wreckage of the Nigerian Air Force aircraft that crashed at Igbokoda in Ilaje Local Government Area of the state.
Governor Aiyedatiwa gave the directive on Wednesday, when he visited the crash site, where search and recovery operations were ongoing.
Key Highlights
- Governor Aiyedatiwa visited the NAF aircraft crash site at Igbokoda, Ilaje LGA, on Wednesday.
- He ordered the search for victims and the main wreckage to continue.
- No survivor has been found; about 25 people aboard are believed to have died.
- The pilot reportedly steered the aircraft away from the community before it crashed into a swamp about 200 metres away.
- Two amphibious swamp buggies were deployed to improve access, while Navy personnel and local divers search deeper sections of the swamp.
- Aviation fuel leaking into the water is causing pollution around the crash site.
The governor described the incident as a national tragedy, saying no survivor has been found as of the time of his visit, while about 25 people aboard the aircraft were believed to have died.
The aircraft, which was conveying Nigerian Air Force personnel on a special mission from Benin to Lagos, crashed at Igbokoda on Monday.
Pilot May Have Averted Greater Disaster
Aiyedatiwa said the cause of the crash can only be established through investigations, noting that the pilot might have averted a greater disaster by manoeuvring the aircraft away from the community before it went down.
According to the governor, residents who witnessed the incident said the aircraft appeared to be experiencing engine problems as it came down towards the community.
He said the pilot managed to steer the aircraft away from the populated area before it crashed about 200 metres from the community and disappeared into the swamp.
“It was a very gory sight,” the governor said, noting that parts of bodies, clothes, and jackets belonging to air force personnel and pieces of the aircraft have been recovered and preserved for investigation.
Aiyedatiwa said the main body of the aircraft was yet to be located because it was believed to be deeply submerged in the swamp.
Swamp Buggies Deployed As Terrain Hampers Search
He explained that the difficult terrain has hampered access to the crash site, prompting him to direct the Ministry of Works to deploy two amphibious machines, popularly known as swamp buggies, to improve access through the waterways.
The machines, he said, have enabled rescue teams to move larger boats closer to the crash location while excavation work continued in search of the wreckage and possible victims.
The governor added that Nigerian Navy personnel and local divers were searching deeper sections of the swamp for bodies and the aircraft’s cockpit.
He also disclosed that aviation fuel was leaking into the water, causing pollution around the crash site.
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Aiyedatiwa commiserated with President Bola Tinubu, the Nigerian Air Force and the families of the deceased over the loss of the personnel.
He described the victims as young and capable Nigerians who had committed themselves to defending the country’s territorial integrity.
The governor urged Nigerians to continue praying for the bereaved families, saying the loss was unexpected and deeply painful.
Meanwhile, the Commander of the Nigerian Navy Forward Operating Base, Igbokoda, Captain Andy Alemongwa, briefed the governor on the progress of the ongoing search and recovery operation.
The governor was accompanied by Deputy Governor Olayide Adelami; Secretary to the State Government, Taiwo Fasoranti; members of the State Executive Council; and Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Emergency Management, Wellington Oriade Adebawo.
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