Ondo military plane crash: 25 passengers, 7 crew members on board – Keyamo

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has said 25 passengers and seven crew members were on board a military aircraft that crashed near a naval base in Igbokoda, Ondo State.

Keyamo disclosed this in a statement announcing the crash of the aircraft, with registration number NGR 931, which was travelling from Benin to Lagos on Sunday.

He said air traffic controllers reported that the aircraft disappeared at about 9:13 a.m., adding that attempts to establish radio contact with it were unsuccessful.

“Subsequently, information, however, confirmed that the military aircraft has crashed close to the Naval Base in Igbokoda, Ondo State. The wreckage has been located and search and rescue operations are ongoing,” the minister said.

Keyamo said preliminary information indicated that 32 people were on board the aircraft.

He added that although military aviation operations fall outside the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Aviation and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, he had spoken with the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, and pledged the ministry’s full cooperation and assistance with the ongoing search and rescue operations.

The minister said further information on the incident would be made available as it emerged.