According to Festus Keyamo, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, a military plane carrying 25 passengers and seven crew members crashed in Ondo State on Monday.
While providing an update on the event, Keyamo revealed this in a statement on his X (Twitter).
“I regret to inform the general public that Air Traffic Controllers have informed me of the disappearance of a military aircraft with tail number NGR 931, enroute Lagos from Benin at 0913 hours earlier today. All efforts to raise the aircraft on radio proved abortive,” the minister wrote.
“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. Preliminary information suggests that there were 25 passengers and 7 crew members on board.
“Whilst the control and regulation of military aircraft are completely outside the authority of the Ministry of Aviation and Civil Aviation Authority, I have just spoken to the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke and pledged our total cooperation and assistance in the search and rescue efforts ongoing. Further information on this unfortunate incident will be made available subsequently.”
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The military aircraft, which was en route to Benin in Edo State from Lagos, crashed in the Igbokoda axis of the Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State.
Police authorities in Ondo State had earlier said details surrounding the incident were still emerging but called for calm.
“The Command urges members of the public, particularly residents of Igbokoda and adjoining communities, to remain calm and refrain from circulating unverified information,” the Ondo State Police Command spokesperson, Abayomi Jimoh, said.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Audu Bosso, says they have uncovered the hideout of kidnappers who abducted corpers.
Gunmen abducted the prospective NYSC members at about 6:30 a.m. on Thursday while enroute Owerri-Onitsha Road by Umunoha in Imo State.
The NYSC members were travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states.
The police later said 10 victims were rescued at the scene following the intervention of the police and other security agencies, while the exact number of people still in captivity was being verified.
While speaking with the reporters, Mr Bosso said the police used drones on Friday to locate the suspected camp after security operatives trailed the abductors into the bush.
The commissioner, however, said the security agencies were being cautious because intelligence indicated that the camp had been mined with Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).
