By: Ganiyu Olayinka
Minister of Aviation Festus Keyamo says 25 passengers and seven crew members were aboard a military aircraft that crashed near the Naval Base in Igbokoda, Ondo State, on Monday.
The aircraft, which is owned by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), was travelling from Benin City, Edo State, to Lagos when it disappeared from radar and radio contact.
Keyamo said air traffic controllers alerted him after efforts to establish radio contact with the aircraft proved unsuccessful.
“Subsequently, however, information confirmed that the military aircraft has crashed close to the Naval Base in Igbokoda, Ondo State,” the minister said in a statement posted on X.
He added that the wreckage had been located and that search and rescue operations were ongoing.
Keyamo said the Ministry of Aviation and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority do not control or regulate military aircraft but had offered full cooperation and assistance to the ongoing rescue operation.
He said further information would be released as it became available.
The crash reportedly caused panic among residents of the coastal community.
The aircraft was reportedly used for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) as well as air-maritime operations.
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