President Bola Tinubu has declared three days of national mourning for the 32 people killed in a Nigerian Air Force aircraft crash in Igbokoda, Ondo State.
The President also ordered that flags be flown at half-mast nationwide and directed the Nigerian Air Force to investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash.
The aircraft, an ATR-42, was carrying 25 passengers and seven crew members when it crashed in the coastal community shortly after 9:00am on Monday.
The aircraft was said to have been travelling from Benin City, Edo State, to Lagos on a routine mission when the accident occurred.
A military source confirmed that none of the 32 occupants survived the crash.
Tinubu, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased and the Nigerian Air Force over the tragedy.
He also extended his sympathies to the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, as well as officers, airmen and airwomen of the service.
“This is a painful moment for our Armed Forces and for the entire nation. Our Air Force personnel put their lives on the line every day to secure Nigeria. Their sacrifice will never be forgotten,” Tinubu said.
The President commended the Nigerian Air Force for promptly commencing search and rescue operations after the crash and praised first responders and the Ondo State Government for their intervention.
He directed the Air Force to carry out a thorough investigation into the incident to establish what caused the crash and prevent similar occurrences in the future.
“The identities of the victims will be released after their families have been notified,” the Presidency said.
Aviation and Aerospace Development Minister Festus Keyamo had earlier announced that the aircraft came down near a naval base.
The ATR-42 is a twin-engine turboprop aircraft with a passenger capacity of between 30 and 50, according to its manufacturer.
Rescue efforts were mounted around the crash site, with footage from the area showing rescuers searching the waters by boat as residents gathered nearby.
A resident, Dayo Akinte, a 39-year-old firewood hawker who lives about one kilometre from the crash site, said she initially mistook the sound of the aircraft crashing for thunder.
According to her, a fisherman who noticed the incident alerted the nearby naval base and residents of Igbokoda.
She also said several aircraft were seen flying over the area after the crash.
The accident occurred in Ilaje Local Government Area, a coastal and oil-producing part of Ondo State.
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