By Ghazali Ibrahim
The Federal Government has confirmed the crash of a military aircraft near the Naval Base in Igbokoda, Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State.
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, disclosed this in a statement on Monday, saying the aircraft, with tail number NGR 931, was travelling from Benin to Lagos when air traffic controllers lost contact with it.
Keyamo said the aircraft disappeared from radio contact at about 9:13 a.m., after which efforts to re-establish communication with the crew proved unsuccessful.
He said authorities subsequently received confirmation that the aircraft had crashed close to the Naval Base in Igbokoda.
“The wreckage has been located and search and rescue operations are ongoing,” the minister said.
According to Keyamo, preliminary information indicated that 25 passengers and seven crew members were aboard the aircraft.
He did not disclose any confirmed casualty figure, saying search and rescue operations were still ongoing.
The minister said he had spoken with the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, and pledged the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development’s cooperation and assistance in the rescue efforts.
Keyamo also clarified that the control and regulation of military aircraft fall outside the authority of his ministry and the civil aviation authorities.
He said further information on the incident would be released as it becomes available.
The cause of the crash and the condition of the passengers and crew members remained unknown at the time of the statement.
