Nigerian Air Force ATR 42 crashes in Ondo State with 32 reported aboard

A Nigerian Air Force ATR 42 crashed near Igbokoda in Ondo State on October 5, 2026, while flying from Benin City to Lagos, the aviation minister said.

Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development Festus Keyamo said in a statement on X that air traffic controllers told him a military aircraft with tail number NGR 931 disappeared at 09:13 local time, and that radio attempts to reach it failed. Later information confirmed the crash near the naval base at Igbokoda, he said. The wreckage was found there and search and rescue operations began.

Preliminary information indicated 25 passengers and seven crew members were on board, 32 people in total, according to the minister.

The air force confirmed the accident in a statement from Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, its Director of Public Relations and Information. It identified the aircraft as an ATR 42 and said it began an immediate search and rescue operation with relevant authorities and emergency response agencies.

"The aircraft was on a routine mission from Benin to Lagos when the accident occurred," Ejodame said.

Neither the air force nor the aviation ministry initially released casualty figures.

The Ondo State Police Command separately confirmed a crash in the Igbokoda area of Ilaje Local Government Area, saying further details were still emerging.