AIR CRASH: GOV AIYEDATIWA VISITS SCENE, ORDERS CONTINUED SEARCH FOR VICTIMS, WRECKAGE
…says pilot averted greater disaster by steering aircraft away from community
Ondo State Governor, His Excellency, Hon. Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, on Wednesday visited the scene of the Nigerian Air Force aircraft crash at Igbokoda, headquarters of Ilaje Local Government Area, as search and recovery operations continued for the victims and the main wreckage of the aircraft.
Governor Aiyedatiwa described the incident as a national tragedy, noting that no survivor had been found at the scene as of the time of his visit.
In a press statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Prince Ebenezer Adeniyan, the Governor said the aircraft, which was carrying Nigerian Air Force personnel on a special mission from Benin to Lagos, crashed at Igbokoda on Monday.
Governor Aiyedatiwa said the exact cause of the crash could only be established through the ongoing investigation, noting that the aircraft was believed to have been carrying approximately 25 personnel.
The Governor visited the crash site alongside personnel of the Nigerian Navy and Nigerian Air Force, divers, the Director of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in the Southwest, the Director of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), as well as local residents who had participated in rescue efforts since the incident occurred.
Describing the scene as a “very gory sight,” the Governor said parts of bodies, clothing and jackets belonging to Air Force personnel, as well as fragments of the aircraft, had been recovered and preserved for further investigation.
He disclosed that the main body of the aircraft had yet to be located, as it was believed to have become submerged deep in the swamp.
According to him, the difficulty of accessing the crash site prompted his directive to the State Ministry of Works to deploy two amphibious machines, popularly known as swamp boogies, to create wider access through the waterways.
He explained that the machines had enabled rescue teams to move larger boats closer to the crash site and were also being used to excavate the surrounding soil in the search for other parts of the wreckage and the main body of the aircraft.
The Governor said that, as of the time of his visit, the main body of the aircraft had still not been located, while Navy personnel and local divers continued to search the deeper sections of the area for possible bodies and the cockpit.
He noted that the nature and depth of the swamp could have caused the aircraft to become deeply submerged in the mud, thereby making the search and recovery operation particularly challenging.
Governor Aiyedatiwa also disclosed that jet fuel was flowing into the surrounding water, resulting in pollution of the area with aviation fuel.
He expressed gratitude that the aircraft did not crash directly within the community, noting that such an occurrence could have resulted in an even greater catastrophe.
According to the Governor, residents who witnessed the incident reported that the aircraft appeared to be descending with a sound suggestive of an engine problem and seemed to be heading towards the community.
He said the pilot apparently managed to manoeuvre the aircraft away from the populated area before it crashed approximately 200 metres from the community and plunged into the swamp.
Governor Aiyedatiwa noted that only the pilot could have explained the circumstances surrounding the manoeuvre that ultimately took the aircraft away from the community.
The Governor commiserated with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, over the loss of the officers.
He also expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased and the Nigerian Air Force, describing the victims as young and capable Nigerians who dedicated their lives to defending the nation and protecting its territorial integrity.
He urged Nigerians to continue praying for the families of the deceased, noting that their loss was deeply painful and not what anyone expected.
Meanwhile, the Commander of the Nigerian Navy Forward Operating Base, Igbokoda, Captain Andy Alemongwa, briefed the Governor on the progress of the ongoing search and recovery operation.
The briefing came as Navy personnel and local divers continued their efforts to locate the missing bodies and the main wreckage of the aircraft.
Governor Aiyedatiwa was accompanied by the Deputy Governor, Dr. Olayide Adelami; the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Taiwo Fasoranti; members of the State Executive Council; and the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Emergency Management, Mr. Wellington Oriade Adebawo.
