FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CONFIRMS 32 PASSENGERS ONBOARD CRASHED MILITARY AIRCRAFT

The Federal Government has confirmed that 32 people were aboard the military aircraft that crashed near the Naval Base in Igbokoda, Ondo State, today.

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, FESTUS KEYAMO, who disclosed this in a statement, said Air Traffic Controllers had reported that the aircraft, with tail number NGR 931, went missing while en route from Benin to Lagos, disappearing from radar  after attempts to establish radio contact with the crew proved unsuccessful.

KEYAMO said the wreckage was later found near the Naval Base in Igbokoda, with search and rescue operations still underway, adding that preliminary information showed that 25 passengers and seven crew members were on board.

He added that while the Ministry of Aviation and the Civil Aviation Authority had no authority over the regulation and control of military aircraft, he had spoken with the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal SUNDAY  ANEKE, and pledged the ministry’s full cooperation and assistance in the ongoing search and rescue efforts.