32 killed in Ondo Air Force crash, Tinubu orders three days of national mourning

Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke was among those killed in the crash.

President Bola Tinubu ordered three days of national mourning as investigators begin examining the cause.

President Bola Tinubu has ordered three days of national mourning after a military plane crash in Ondo State claimed the lives of all 32 people on board, including the Nigerian Air Force’s most senior officer.

The aircraft, an ATR-42 with the tail number NGR 931, went down on Monday near a naval base in the Igbokoda area, within the Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State. It had been on a routine flight from Benin in Edo State to Lagos, carrying 25 passengers and seven crew members. 

The aircraft, an ATR-42 with the tail number NGR 931 Among those killed was the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, placing the country’s air force leadership among the dead.

Tinubu’s directive, announced through his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, requires flags to be flown at half-mast nationwide for the duration of the mourning period, as a gesture of respect for those lost.

In a message sent to the Air Force following the crash, the President called it a painful moment for the country and its armed forces, pointing to the risks military personnel take on as part of their service. 

Among those killed was the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke He has since been briefed on developments and has instructed the Air Force to begin an immediate investigation into what caused the crash, with the goal of preventing a repeat incident. 

Search-and-rescue teams were activated quickly after the crash was reported, a response Tinubu specifically praised, along with the efforts of the Ondo State Government and other first responders at the scene.

The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has also been drawn into the matter and is expected to examine the wreckage as part of the broader inquiry into the accident. Officials have not yet released the identities of those on board, saying names will only be made public once families have been formally notified.

As of now, authorities have not determined what caused the aircraft to go down, and the investigation remains in its early stages.