Ondo Air Crash: No Survivor Found Yet After- Aiyedatiwa

Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has said search teams have yet to find any survivor following the crash of a Nigerian Air Force aircraft in Igbokoda, Ilaje Local Government Area of the state.

Aiyedatiwa disclosed this during an interview with Channels Television on Monday, saying local residents, security personnel and emergency responders had searched the crash site without finding anyone alive.

The governor said he was alerted to the incident at about 10:30 am after the chairman of the local government contacted him.

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According to Aiyedatiwa, residents living across the river from the Nigerian Navy base in Igbokoda heard a loud noise before seeing the aircraft descend into a swampy area.

He said Navy personnel initially held back to determine whether the crash had triggered a fire or explosion before approaching the site.

After finding no signs of fire, the personnel moved towards the wreckage in an attempt to locate and rescue those on board, he said.

“When they noticed that it’s just an accident, they didn’t see any sign of fire. So they moved in, trying to see if they could rescue the people,” Aiyedatiwa said.

The governor added that officials from the local emergency management agency, residents and members of the Amotekun Corps subsequently joined the search operation.

However, he said no survivor had been found as of the time of the interview.

Search teams recovered parts of the aircraft, including sections of the wings, identification cards and uniforms, which helped establish that the crashed aircraft belonged to the military, according to the governor.

“But from the information we got, no single life was saved up to this moment. They could not see any living soul that was in that aircraft,” the governor said.

“But they saw the ruins, some of the wreckage from the wings of the aircraft, you know, some ID cards, I was told, and then uniform. That was when they knew it was a military aircraft,” he added.

Aiyedatiwa described the incident as a painful development, noting that the crash occurred not only in Ondo State but also in his home local government area.

He expressed sympathy for the affected military personnel, describing them as officers tasked with protecting Nigeria’s territorial integrity.

“It happens to Nigerian military officers who are assigned to protect the territorial integrity of our country and, you know, involving such, you know, accidents. So, so painful. So painful, but so sad,” he said.