Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has said no survivor has been found following the crash of a Nigerian Air Force aircraft in Igbokoda, Ilaje Local Government Area of the state.
Aiyedatiwa disclosed this on Monday during an interview with Channels Television, saying residents, security personnel and emergency responders had searched the crash site but had yet to find anyone alive.
The governor said he was informed about the incident at about 10:30 a.m. after receiving a call from the chairman of Ilaje Local Government Area.
According to him, residents living across the river from the Nigerian Navy base in Igbokoda heard a loud sound and later observed the aircraft descending into a swampy area.
Aiyedatiwa explained that personnel of the Nigerian Navy initially assessed the area to determine whether there was any fire or explosion before moving closer to the crash site.
Local residents, emergency officials and members of the Amotekun Corps subsequently joined the search and rescue efforts.
The governor said search teams recovered parts of the aircraft, including portions of the wings, identification cards and military uniforms, which helped confirm that the crashed aircraft belonged to the Nigerian military.
The Nigerian Air Force earlier confirmed that the aircraft was an ATR-42 conducting a routine mission from Benin, Edo State, to Lagos when the crash occurred. Search and rescue operations were immediately activated in collaboration with relevant authorities and emergency agencies.
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, said preliminary information indicated that 25 passengers and seven crew members were aboard the aircraft, bringing the total number of people on board to 32.
President Bola Tinubu has ordered a thorough investigation into the crash and expressed condolences to the families of those on board, while commending the emergency response and ongoing search efforts.
At the time of the latest reports, authorities had not announced a final casualty figure, while efforts to recover those on board and establish the full circumstances of the crash continued.
