AKURE — Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has confirmed that multi-agency search-and-rescue personnel combing the swampy crash site in Igbokoda, Ilaje Local Government Area, have found no survivors following Monday morning’s Nigerian Air Force (NAF) military aircraft disaster.
Speaking during a live television interview on Monday evening, October 5, 2026, Governor Aiyedatiwa disclosed that operational reports from security personnel and the local Amotekun Corps confirmed that emergency teams were unable to rescue any of the 32 personnel on board.
“From all indications, there are no survivors yet that we can record,” Governor Aiyedatiwa stated. “From the information we have got, no single life was saved up to this moment. They could not see any living soul in that aircraft, but rescuers recovered debris, military identification cards, and uniforms from the site.”
Expressing deep grief over the disaster, the Governor described the event as a monumental tragedy for Ondo State and the entire country, noting that the crash occurred within his home local government area of Ilaje.
“It is a painful development for Nigerian military officers assigned to protect the territorial integrity of our country to be lost in such a tragic manner,” Aiyedatiwa added, commending local fishermen, naval personnel, and emergency crews who braved the difficult terrain to assist in initial search efforts.
The NAF aircraft was carrying 25 passengers and seven crew members en route from Benin City, Edo State, to Lagos when it went down around 9:00 AM during severe rainfall.
Meanwhile, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has extended heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and ordered the military high command to initiate a comprehensive investigation into the immediate and remote causes of the crash.
