Ondo deploys swamp buggies to reach crashed NAF aircraft in Igbokoda

A Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 aircraft carrying 32 people crashed in a swamp at Igbokoda in Ondo State on 5 October 2026, and no one survived. The plane, tail number NGR 931, lost contact with air traffic controllers at about 9.13am while flying a routine mission from Benin City to Lagos. Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa said rescue teams found no survivors among the 25 passengers and seven crew members aboard the aircraft.nairametrics.com+1

The crash matters because it killed every person on board and has triggered a recovery operation in terrain that conventional vehicles and boats cannot cross. It also raises an unresolved question about who investigates: the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau, which handles civil aviation accidents, has said it can take part only if the Air Force formally invites it. President Bola Tinubu has directed the Nigerian Air Force to begin a full investigation into the cause.

Why the crash matters

The aircraft came down in a swampy stretch of land opposite the Naval Base in Igbokoda, headquarters of Ilaje Local Government Area, about 500 metres east of the Nigerian Naval base. Ondo State Commissioner for Health Banji Ajaka said the pilots diverted the aircraft away from the community before it crashed. Governor Aiyedatiwa said word of the crash reached him at about 10.30am and that witnesses reported seeing the aircraft dive into the swamp.punchng.com

Contact with air traffic controllers was lost at about 9.13am, when the crash was estimated to have happened, on a routine flight from Benin City to Lagos. Rescue teams recovered sections of a wing, identification cards and military uniforms, which helped confirm quickly that it was a military plane. Michael Achimugu, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority's director of public affairs, told reporters that bodies were being recovered from the wreckage.

Ondo State deployed swamp buggies because the aircraft had sunk deep into the swamp, making it difficult for rescuers to reach the wreckage. Commissioner Banji Ajaka said conventional vehicles and boats could not reach the location, and that the force of the impact drove the aircraft down into the mud. Two swamp buggies were on site, carried on low-bed trailers, so crews could reach the depth where the aircraft body lay.withinnigeria.com

Why swamp buggies were needed

Divers were working at the site and had begun bringing out parts of the wreckage, Ajaka said, but no major bodies had been recovered yet. The search and rescue operation had continued since Monday, involving the state government, security agencies and local authorities, including the Ministry of Health, the local government, the state emergency management agency and environmental safety officers. The Commissioner for Environment and senior military officers were also at the scene coordinating recovery.

The Nigerian Air Force released the names of the 25 people who died, confirming there were no survivors. Earlier, the Presidency said the Air Force would release names only after families were contacted. The aircraft carried 25 passengers and seven crew members, a total of 32, according to Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo. Press reports said passengers included family members of military personnel alongside military men and the crew.

Names released and condolences

President Bola Tinubu expressed condolences to the families of the victims and directed the Nigerian Air Force to commence a thorough investigation into the cause of the crash. He said he had been briefed by the Chief of Air Staff and wanted the cause found so a repeat could be prevented. Minister Keyamo said control and regulation of military aircraft fall outside the Ministry of Aviation and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority.

The Republic of Türkiye expressed deep sadness and extended condolences in a statement issued on Tuesday by its embassy in Abuja. The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement, titled 'Regarding the Military Aircraft Crash in Nigeria,' said: 'We are deeply saddened by the loss of lives resulting from the crash of a military aircraft today (5 October) in Ondo State of Nigeria.'

What investigators must resolve

The cause of the crash has not been established. The Air Force has given no cause, and there has been no official word on the weather, the condition of the aircraft, or what the crew reported before contact was lost. Investigators will normally examine the wreckage, flight recorders if recovered intact, air traffic control records and the maintenance history of the plane.

The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau, which handles civil aviation accidents, has said it can take part only if the Air Force formally invites it, and whether that invitation comes remains open. The ATR-42 is a twin-engine turboprop widely used for regional flights. The recovery operation with swamp buggies and divers continues at the Igbokoda crash site as families await answers on the cause.