Nigeria mourns as 32 killed in military plane crash

Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu announced three days of national mourning after a military aircraft crashed in Ondo State, killing 32 people. The flight, which was traveling from Benin City to Lagos on a routine mission, went down near a naval base on Monday morning. A local resident who spoke with the BBC said the plane came down close to a swamp, where rescuers recovered clothing and shoes and observed smoke rising from the wreckage. Tinubu expressed his deepest sympathy for the 25 passengers and seven crew members aboard, ordering a comprehensive investigation into the crash. He also directed that the national flag be flown at half‑mast across the country as a mark of respect. “This is simply a achy infinitesimal for our Armed Forces and for the full nation,” Tinubu said. “Our Air Force unit enactment their lives connected the enactment each time to unafraid Nigeria. Their sacrifice volition ne'er beryllium forgotten,” helium added. Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo told reporters he had been notified “of the disappearance of a subject craft with process fig NGR 931, enroute Lagos from Benin astatine 0913 hours earlier today”. He said attempts to locate the aircraft on radar “proved abortive” before officials confirmed it had struck the ground near a naval facility in Igbokoda, Ondo state. Keyamo added that search and rescue operations were still underway. The downed aircraft has been identified as an ATR‑42, a model that typically seats between 30 and 50 passengers according to the manufacturer. Tinubu instructed the Air Force to launch an immediate, thorough probe into the cause of the accident to prevent similar tragedies in the future. Authorities have not yet released the names of the victims, stating that the information will be published after next‑of‑kin have been informed. The Nigerian Air Force plays a central role in the nation’s security efforts, including operations against armed groups and instability in various regions. This crash ranks among the deadliest aviation disasters in Nigeria in recent years. In May 2021, the country’s service chief, Lt‑Gen Ibrahim Attahiru, died in a plane crash that also claimed ten other officers in Kaduna amid poor weather. In February of the same year, seven people were killed when a military aircraft fell short of a runway in Abuja.