Nigeria Mourns as NAF Names 25 Killed in Ondo Military Plane Crash

Nigeria has entered a three-day period of national mourning after a Nigerian Air Force aircraft crashed in Ondo State, killing all 25 people aboard, as the military has now released the names of those who died.

The Nigerian Air Force confirmed on Tuesday that NAF 931, an ATR-42 aircraft, was carrying five crew members and 20 passengers when it crashed in the Igbokoda area of Ilaje Local Government Area on Monday. The aircraft was on a routine mission from Benin City to Lagos when contact was lost at about 9:13 a.m.

The release of the victims' identities came as the country began observing the three days of national mourning declared by President Bola Tinubu. The President also ordered that national flags be flown at half-mast across the country and directed the Nigerian Air Force to conduct a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash.

The NAF said no survivors were found. Its Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, said Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, had expressed condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of the victims and ordered a comprehensive investigation. The service has also opened a condolence register at its headquarters in Abuja.

Full list of those who died

The five crew members were Squadron Leader MI Aburime, the flight captain; Squadron Leader AP Man-Ugwueje, co-pilot; Flight Lieutenant IS Bako, co-pilot; Warrant Officer Abubakar A, aircraft technician; and Corporal Uguru HC, aircraft technician.

The 20 passengers were identified as Flight Lieutenant TL Lazarus; Flight Lieutenant M Akinloye; Flying Officer IM Adeshina; Master Warrant Officer Onwuka F; Master Warrant Officer Matini BA; Warrant Officer Nuhu FS; Flight Sergeant James RB; Flight Sergeant Mohammed AI; Sergeant Ani AE; Sergeant Izibenikien SI; Sergeant Alafuka C; Sergeant Mbadugha AN; Lance Corporal Ugwuba FC; Lance Corporal Eledan GE; Mrs Ezeh Nneka; Godstmine Tarabina; Joy Micheal; Sunday Micheal; Ukeme David; and Gideon Omotola.

The publication of the list also clarifies an early discrepancy over the number of people aboard the aircraft. Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo initially reported that preliminary information indicated 25 passengers and seven crew members, putting the total at 32. The Nigerian Air Force's subsequent official account established that 25 people (five crew and 20 passengers) were aboard NAF 931. Reuters and the Associated Press have also reported the revised figure.

The crash occurred in difficult terrain near a naval base at Igbokoda, with the aircraft reportedly coming down in a swampy area. Search-and-rescue teams were deployed after the aircraft disappeared from radar, and the wreckage was eventually located. Witness accounts and preliminary reports have described a loud sound around the time of the crash, but authorities have not established a cause.

The NAF has urged Nigerians to avoid speculation and the circulation of unverified information while the investigation continues. That warning is particularly important given the conflicting early casualty figures and the absence, so far, of an official explanation for why the aircraft went down.

The human cost has already begun to emerge beyond the official casualty list. Reports identified Squadron Leader AP Man-Ugwueje, one of the aircraft's co-pilots, as having married only weeks before the crash. His death is one of many personal losses now being felt by military families and communities connected to those aboard the aircraft.

President Tinubu's decision to declare three days of national mourning places the tragedy at the level of a national bereavement rather than treating it solely as a military aviation accident. Flags are being flown at half-mast as families await the completion of identification and recovery procedures, while the investigation is expected to examine the aircraft's final flight, maintenance and operational circumstances.

For the Nigerian Air Force, the next phase will be about establishing exactly what happened to NAF 931 and whether anything could have prevented the disaster. For the families, however, the investigation comes alongside an immediate and irreversible loss. The names released today turn the crash from a number into 25 individual lives, while the three-day mourning period reflects the wider national weight of a tragedy that has struck Nigeria's armed forces and their families.