•As Tinubu, Aiyedatiwa mourn
•Regulation of military aircraft not in our purview — Keyamo
President Bola Tinubu has expressed profound sadness over the crash of a Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 aircraft near a naval base in the Igbokoda area of Ondo State on Monday morning.
According to a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the aircraft was on a routine mission from Benin to Lagos when the accident occurred.
President Tinubu extended his deepest condolences to the families of the 25 passengers and seven crew members involved in the crash, as well as to the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, and the officers, airmen, and airwomen of the Nigerian Air Force.
“This is a painful moment for our Armed Forces and for the entire nation. Our Air Force personnel put their lives on the line every day to secure Nigeria. Their sacrifice will never be forgotten,” the President said.
Tinubu disclosed that the Chief of the Air Staff had briefed him on the incident and added that he had directed the Nigerian Air Force to immediately commence a thorough investigation into the cause of the crash.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo (SAN), had earlier on Monday confirmed the crash.
This was as the minister also clarified that the control and regulation of military aircraft were completely outside the authority of the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development.
In a statement in Lagos, Keyamo said the aircraft, bearing tail number NGR 931, crashed close to the Naval Base in Igbokoda, Ondo State.
According to him, the aircraft was en route to Lagos from Benin when air traffic controllers lost contact with it. He noted that the aircraft was reported missing at about 9:13 a.m. on Monday.
Keyamo said all efforts to track the aircraft on radio proved abortive after contact was lost, adding that subsequent information received confirmed that the aircraft had crashed close to the Naval Base in Igbokoda.
“The wreckage has been located, and search and rescue operations are ongoing,” he said.
The Minister stated that preliminary information indicated that 25 passengers and seven crew members were aboard the aircraft.
In clarifying the regulation of military aircraft, he noted that it was completely outside the authority of the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority.
He, however, disclosed that he had spoken with the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, over the incident.
Keyamo pledged the ministry’s total cooperation and assistance in the ongoing search and rescue efforts.
Meanwhile, the Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has directed the state’s emergency and security agencies to provide full logistical and human support for the ongoing search and rescue operations.
Aiyedatiwa also directed that the crash site be cordoned off and secured to allow emergency responders to operate without hindrance.
The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Ebenezer Adeniyan, said Aiyedatiwa received the news of the crash with deep sadness.
The governor expressed sympathy to the Chief of the Air Staff, the Nigerian Air Force, and the families of the personnel and passengers on board the aircraft.