Son of retired NAF captain dies in Ondo crash 16 days after wedding to fellow Air Force officer

Squadron Leader Ahamefule Man-Ugwueje married fellow NAF officer Damilola Adekunle in September 2026.

The NAF pilot and his bride held their wedding in Abuja just 16 days before the fatal aircraft crash.

Man-Ugwueje was a co-pilot on the NAF ATR-42 aircraft, NAF 931, which crashed in Igbokoda, Ilaje Local Government Area, on Monday, October 5, 2026.

The NAF officer had only been married for 16 days before the fatal crash. He exchanged marital vows with Flight Lieutenant Damilola Adekunle who is also a Nigerian Air Force officer, at an elaborate ceremony in Abuja on September 19.

The couple’s Holy Matrimony was held at the Redeemed Christian Church of God, The Masters Place, Utako, Abuja, while the reception followed at the Nigerian Army Conference Centre in Asokoro.

Squadron Leader Ahamefule Aham Man-Ugwueje Details of the wedding were contained in the couple’s invitation and posts making rounds on the internet. Photographs from the event showed Man-Ugwueje and his bride celebrating their union just days before his death.

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The wedding invitation identified Man-Ugwueje as the son of retired Group Captain Man-Ugwueje.

The late pilot was among the five crew members listed by the Nigerian Air Force after the aircraft crashed during a routine mission from Benin City to Lagos.

Squadron Leader Ahamefule Aham Man-Ugwueje and wife The aircraft was carrying 20 passengers and five crew members when it went down in a swampy area near a naval base in Igbokoda.

The Nigerian Air Force confirmed on Tuesday that there were no survivors and released the names of all 25 victims.

RELATED: 25 killed in Ondo Air Force crash, Tinubu orders three days of national mourning

The crash has prompted an investigation by the Nigerian Air Force as authorities work to establish what caused the accident.

President Bola Tinubu has also declared three days of national mourning in honour of the victims, directing that national flags be flown at half-mast throughout the period.

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