Update (09:35 UTC, 6 October 2026): The Nigerian Air Force has released the names of those who died and says 25 people were on board NAF 931, five crew members and 20 passengers, with no survivors found. The figure is lower than the 32 cited on Monday from the aviation ministerβs preliminary information and repeated in the presidential statement. The Air Force statement, issued by Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, named the flight captain, two co-pilots and two aircraft technicians among the crew. This article has been updated to reflect the official count.
A Nigerian Air Force ATR 42 crashed near the naval base in Igbokoda, Ondo State, on 5 October 2026 while flying a routine mission from Benin City to Lagos. Nigeriaβs Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, said air traffic controllers lost contact with the aircraft, identified by the military tail number NGR 931, at about 09:13 local time and could not raise it on radio. Later information confirmed that the aircraft had crashed close to the naval base and that the wreckage had been located.
On Monday, Keyamo said preliminary information indicated that 25 passengers and seven crew members were on board, and President Bola Tinubuβs office later referred to 32 people in its statement of condolence. On Tuesday the Air Force, which operated the aircraft, gave its own count of 25 people on board. Tinubu described the crash as a painful moment for the Armed Forces and the nation and ordered the Air Force to investigate.
NAF confirms ATR 42 and releases names
The Nigerian Air Force confirmed ownership of the aircraft in statements from its Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame. The service identified the type as an ATR 42 and said it had activated an immediate search and rescue operation in coordination with relevant authorities and emergency response agencies. βThe aircraft was on a routine mission from Benin to Lagos when the accident occurred,β Ejodame said. In its second statement the Air Force said the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, had expressed profound condolences to the families, loved ones and colleagues of those who lost their lives, and that he had directed a comprehensive investigation.
The Ondo State Police Command separately confirmed an aircraft crash in the Igbokoda axis of Ilaje Local Government Area. The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority and the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau offered technical assistance to the Air Force. Keyamo noted that the Ministry of Aviation and the civil aviation authority do not regulate military aircraft, but said he had spoken with the Chief of the Air Staff and pledged cooperation with the rescue effort.
Investigation ordered, cause not established
Tinubu said the Chief of the Air Staff had briefed him and that he had directed the Nigerian Air Force to begin a thorough investigation into the cause of the crash to help prevent future occurrences. He also praised the Air Force for launching search and rescue quickly and thanked first responders and the Ondo State government at the site. No official cause has been released. Reporting from AeroTime, Punch, Channels Television, Daily Trust, TheCable and other outlets has not attributed the accident to weather, mechanical failure or any other factor, and this article does not speculate.
The ATR 42 is a twin-engine turboprop that the Nigerian Air Force has used for transport and for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance roles, including maritime patrol. Early wire reports that described the flight as a helicopter were corrected once the Air Force confirmed the type. NGR 931 is the military identity reported by Keyamo for the aircraft that disappeared from radio contact on the BeninβLagos sector.
Further details on the recovery work and the investigation timeline are expected from the Nigerian Air Force and federal authorities as official updates become available.
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