Three days after a Nigerian Air Force ATR 42 aircraft plunged into a swamp in Igbokoda, Ondo State, killing all 25 people on board, grief continues to ripple across the nation while recovery teams battle difficult terrain to retrieve the wreckage and remains.
The aircraft, NAF 931, was on a routine flight from Benin to Lagos on Monday when it crashed. Five crew members and 20 passengers lost their lives. Among them was Squadron Leader Mahmoud Aburime, the pilot and a postgraduate student of Mass Communication at the University of Benin (UNIBEN).
Yesterday, one of his classmates, Samson Akharele, paid a deeply emotional tribute to the late officer. He described Aburime as a calm, disciplined, humble and promising young man who successfully balanced military duties with academic ambition.
“It is with a heart that is heavy, shattered, lacerated, and overwhelmed with indescribable grief that I pen this condolence,” Akharele wrote. He noted that Aburime was expected to complete his Master’s coursework this month before beginning his dissertation. “He was a perfect blend of intellect and gallantry,” the classmate added, recalling that the officer had attended a make-up test only the previous Friday—now realised as the last of his academic journey.
Akharele also highlighted the close bond Aburime shared with another classmate known as Tolu, describing them as “brothers… bonded by loyalty and genuine affection.”
The tragedy has left a profound void among classmates, family, friends and military colleagues.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Air Force, under the direction of Chief of the Air Staff Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, is leading coordinated search and recovery operations with support from other security and emergency agencies. The priority remains the recovery of the main wreckage, the black box and the remains of the victims from the swampy site.
The Nigerian Navy has deployed specialised sonar equipment after an assessment by senior naval and air force officers. Navy Captain Andy Alemongwa, Commanding Officer of the Forward Operating Base in Igbokoda, explained that high turbidity made underwater visibility extremely poor. The sonar survey will help map the precise location of the submerged aircraft and guide divers and technical teams. NAF drone pilots are also searching surrounding mangrove and forested areas.
Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa visited the crash site yesterday alongside Captain Alemongwa. He noted that residents reported the aircraft appeared to develop engine trouble and may have been steered away from populated areas before crashing into the swamp. Body parts, clothing and aircraft fragments have been recovered, but the main wreckage remains submerged. The governor ordered the deployment of swamp buggies to improve access.
In a related development, Air Marshal Aneke and the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, agreed to deepen collaboration between the Nigerian Air Force and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority on aviation safety, airworthiness, certification, training and capacity building. Keyamo emphasised that disasters affect the entire nation and that greater cooperation is essential, noting that the Air Force already relies on civil aviation infrastructure such as air traffic control.
Tributes have poured in from across the political spectrum. Abia State Governor Alex Otti expressed deep sorrow, particularly noting the personal tragedy of one officer who had married only about two weeks earlier. Senate Committee on Defence Vice Chairman Joel-Onowakpo Thomas described the crash as a “national catastrophe,” mourning the loss of “our bravest patriots.”
Following the declaration of a three-day national mourning period, many organisations suspended activities in honour of the fallen personnel.
As recovery efforts continue in the challenging swampy terrain, the nation waits for answers while honouring the memory of the 25 officers and personnel who lost their lives in service.