By Daily Review Online
A Nigerian Air Force military helicopter caught fire before crash-landing in a swampy area of Igbokoda, Ondo State, on Monday, with no survivor found so far among the 32 people believed to have been aboard the aircraft.
The aircraft, with tail number NGR 931, crashed close to the Naval Base in Igbokoda, headquarters of Ilaje Local Government Area, during a flight between Lagos and Benin.
Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa said search-and-rescue teams, security personnel and local residents had searched the crash site but had not found anyone alive.
“There are no survivors yet from the information I’ve gotten from the people in there,” Aiyedatiwa said on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday.
The governor said initial reports indicated that people in the area heard a loud sound resembling an air tremor before the aircraft was seen nose-diving into the swamp.
However, the Chairman of Ilaje Local Government Area, Maurice Oripelaye, gave an account indicating that the aircraft was engulfed by fire following the crash and was badly burnt.
He said the helicopter fell across the river into the bush, an area that is currently waterlogged because of the rains.
“I believe the water prevented it from catching fire, but the impact smashed the aircraft. A substantial part of it has gone into the water,” Oripelaye said in a telephone conversation.
He also disclosed that a burnt military uniform was found inside the wreckage.
Governor Aiyedatiwa said rescuers recovered wreckage, identity cards and military uniforms from the crash site, which helped establish that the aircraft was a military helicopter.
According to him, Nigerian Navy personnel initially stayed back because of fears of an explosion or fire outbreak before moving towards the crash site after no immediate sign of fire was observed.
The local emergency management agency, residents and personnel of the Amotekun Corps also joined the search-and-rescue operation.
“But from the information we got, no single life was saved up to this moment,” Aiyedatiwa said, adding that rescuers could not find any living person inside the aircraft.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, earlier confirmed that 32 people — 25 passengers and seven crew members — were on board the aircraft.
Keyamo said air traffic controllers lost contact with the aircraft after it departed at about 9:13 a.m., with efforts to raise it by radio proving unsuccessful before its crash was confirmed.
He said the wreckage had been located and search-and-rescue operations launched, while noting that the regulation and control of military aircraft fell outside the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Aviation and the civil aviation authorities.
Keyamo said he had spoken with the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, and pledged the ministry’s cooperation and assistance in the rescue efforts.
Meanwhile, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has mourned those involved in the crash and ordered an investigation into the incident.
“This is a painful moment for our Armed Forces and for the entire nation. Our Air Force personnel put their lives on the line every day to secure Nigeria. Their sacrifice will never be forgotten,” Tinubu said.
The President commended the Nigerian Air Force for activating a search-and-rescue operation and praised first responders and the Ondo State Government for their response.
He also prayed for the repose of the souls of the victims and expressed sympathy to the families of the personnel and passengers, as well as the Nigerian Air Force.
The cause of the crash has not yet been established, as authorities continue efforts to recover the wreckage and determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.