Ondo Plane Crash: No Survivors Yet, Only Wreckage, IDs — Gov Aiyedatiwa

Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has said no survivor has been recovered from the Nigerian Air Force aircraft crash in Igbokoda, Ilaje Local Government Area, with rescue teams so far finding only parts of the wreckage, identity cards and military uniforms.

Aiyedatiwa disclosed this on Monday night during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, hours after the aircraft crashed in a swampy area of Igbokoda.

The governor said the main body of the aircraft had not yet been reached because it went deep into the swamp, making access to the crash site difficult.

According to him, residents heard a loud sound before the aircraft plunged into the swamp opposite the Naval Forward Operating Base in Igbokoda.

He said the aircraft had 32 people on board, comprising 25 passengers and seven crew members. It was on a surveillance mission from Benin, Edo State, to Lagos when it lost radio communication at about 9:15 a.m.

Aiyedatiwa said naval personnel, emergency officials, Amotekun operatives and local residents immediately moved into the creek with boats to search for survivors, but no living person had been found as of the time of his interview.

He said the crash site had been cordoned off, while hospitals in Igbokoda and Okitipupa were placed on standby to receive any survivors who might be recovered.

The governor added that the Nigerian Air Force and the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau were involved in efforts to establish what caused the crash. He said investigators would need to recover the aircraft’s black box and examine other evidence before determining the exact cause.

Earlier, Aiyedatiwa had said a technical problem rather than bad weather could have contributed to the crash, noting that the aircraft lost communication before going down. However, he stressed that the official investigation would determine the actual cause.

President Bola Tinubu has ordered the Nigerian Air Force to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident.

The aircraft’s crash has triggered a major rescue and recovery operation involving military personnel, emergency responders and local authorities as efforts continue to reach the main wreckage.