A Nigerian Air Force (NAF) ATR 42 crashed near Igbokoda, in southwestern Nigeria’s Ondo State, on October 5, 2026, while flying from Benin City to Lagos. Nigeria’s aviation minister said preliminary information indicated that 32 people were on board.
In a statement posted on X, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development Festus Keyamo said air traffic controllers informed him that a military aircraft, identified by tail number NGR 931, had disappeared at 09:13 local time. Attempts to contact the aircraft by radio were unsuccessful.
Keyamo said later information confirmed that the aircraft had crashed near the naval base in Igbokoda. The wreckage was located, and search and rescue operations were launched.
According to the minister, preliminary information indicated that 25 passengers and seven crew members were on board.
NAF launches search and rescue operation
The NAF confirmed the accident in a statement issued by its Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame.
The service identified the aircraft as an ATR 42 and said it had launched an immediate search and rescue operation in coordination with relevant authorities and emergency response agencies.
“The aircraft was on a routine mission from Benin to Lagos when the accident occurred,” Ejodame said.
Neither the NAF nor the aviation ministry initially released casualty figures.
The Ondo State Police Command separately confirmed an aircraft crash in the Igbokoda axis of Ilaje Local Government Area and said further details were still emerging.