Igbokoda air crash: Pilot averted bigger disaster, says Gov Aiyedatiwa

By Tolu Temidire

Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has said the pilot of the Nigerian Air Force aircraft that crashed at Igbokoda, headquarters of Ilaje Local Government Area, averted a bigger disaster by manoeuvring the aircraft away from the community before it plunged into a swamp.

Aiyedatiwa stated this on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, when he visited the scene of the crash as search and recovery operations continued for the victims and the main wreckage of the aircraft.

The aircraft, which was reportedly carrying Nigerian Air Force personnel on a special mission from Benin to Lagos, crashed at Igbokoda on Monday.

The governor said residents who witnessed the incident told him that the aircraft appeared to be coming down with a sound suggesting an engine problem and was almost landing within the community before the pilot successfully manoeuvred it away.

According to him, the aircraft eventually crashed about 200 metres away from the community and went straight into the swamp.

Aiyedatiwa said, “Only the pilot could explain the effort made to manoeuvre the aircraft away from the community.”

He described the incident as a national tragedy, noting that no survivor had been found at the scene as of the time of his visit.

The governor said the approximately 25 occupants of the aircraft were believed to have died, adding that the exact cause of the crash could only be established through investigation.

He said the scene presented “a very gory sight”, with parts of bodies, clothes and jackets belonging to Air Force personnel, as well as broken aircraft components, recovered and preserved for further investigation.

Aiyedatiwa explained that the main body of the aircraft had yet to be located, as it was believed to have become submerged deep in the swamp.

He said the difficult terrain and poor accessibility to the crash site prompted him to direct the state Ministry of Works to deploy two amphibious machines, popularly known as swamp boogies, to improve access through the waterways.

According to him, the machines had enabled rescue teams to move bigger boats closer to the crash site while also assisting in excavating the soil in search of the wreckage and possible victims.

The governor said personnel of the Nigerian Navy and local divers were continuing the search in deeper sections of the swamp for possible bodies and the cockpit of the aircraft.

He noted that the nature and depth of the swamp might have caused the aircraft to become deeply submerged in the mud.

Aiyedatiwa also disclosed that jet fuel was flowing into the water, resulting in pollution of the area with aviation fuel.

While expressing concern over the environmental impact, the governor said the fact that the aircraft did not crash in the middle of the community had prevented what could have been a much greater catastrophe.

He commiserated with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, over the loss of the officers, and sympathised with the families of the victims and the Nigerian Air Force.

The governor described the deceased as young and capable Nigerians who had committed themselves to defending the territorial integrity of the country.

He urged Nigerians to continue praying for the bereaved families, saying the loss was unexpected and painful.

Aiyedatiwa visited the crash site alongside personnel of the Nigerian Navy and Air Force, divers, the Southwest Director of the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, the State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, and local residents who had participated in rescue efforts since the incident.

Meanwhile, the Commander of the Nigerian Navy Forward Operating Base, Igbokoda, Captain Andy Alemongwa, briefed the governor on the progress of the search and recovery operation.

Navy personnel and local divers were continuing efforts to locate the missing bodies and the main wreckage of the aircraft as of the time of the governor’s visit.