A massive search and rescue operation is underway in Ondo State after a flight carrying 32 people went down Monday morning, October 5, 2026, in a dense forest swamp.
According to community resident Olorunlola Oluwafemi, heavy rain was pounding the riverine area of Igbokoda when a deafening, thunder-like blast shattered the quiet. Moments later, thick plumes of black smoke began billowing from the trees directly opposite the local Forward Operating Base (FOB).
The Chairman of the Ilaje Local Government Area, Maurice Oripelaye, confirmed that while emergency teams salvaged scattered gear from the site, the aircraft itself was entirely burnt to rubble. The sheer devastation initially made it impossible for local responders to verify the flight registration details or identify how many occupants were on board.
Providing a critical breakthrough on the developing crisis, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, issued an official statement confirming that the aircraft—bearing registration number NGR 931—had vanished from radar at approximately 9:13 a.m. while en route from Benin to Lagos. Air traffic controllers immediately raised the alarm after multiple attempts to establish radio contact with the crew failed.
Keyamo revealed that subsequent tracking located the wreckage in the immediate vicinity of the Naval Base in Igbokoda.
“Preliminary information suggests that there were 25 passengers and seven crew members on board,” Keyamo stated, adding that search and rescue teams have intensified their push into the treacherous swampy environment to locate potential survivors.
While the Minister clarified that the control and regulation of this specific category of aircraft fall outside the direct jurisdiction of the Ministry of Aviation and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), he has moved swiftly to ensure a unified response. Keyamo has already spoken with the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, pledging the civilian ministry’s total cooperation, technical assistance, and logistics support to the emergency teams.
