WorldStage— The Ondo State Government has lauded the heroic final actions of the pilot of the ill-fated Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 aircraft, which crashed on Monday in a swampy area near the Naval Forward Operating Base in Igbokoda, Ilaje Local Government Area.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television, the Ondo State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Idowu Ajanaku, revealed that the catastrophic death toll would have skyrocketed if not for the pilot’s desperate, last-minute maneuvers.
“We have not been able to pull out the complete aircraft from the rubble, but part of the aircraft was pulled out yesterday and today,” Ajanaku stated while outlining the intense physical challenges facing recovery teams.
“I must commend the pilot of the aircraft even in death. He maneuvered the aircraft in order not to plunge into the densely populated area in Igbokoda.”
The Commissioner further emphasized that the pilot’s selflessness averted an even greater humanitarian catastrophe. “If he had not done that, we would have been talking about close to 200 deaths,” Ajanaku added.
The aircraft, with tail number NGR 931, was conducting a routine surveillance mission from Benin to Lagos when air traffic controllers lost radio communication at approximately 9:13 a.m.
It subsequently dived deep into a difficult, waterlogged swamp.
Official reports from the Ministry of Aviation and the Nigerian Air Force confirmed that 32 people—consisting of 25 passengers and seven crew members—were on board.
Sadly, state officials and emergency agencies have reported no survivors.
Recovery efforts are currently being led by the Ondo State Emergency Management Agency (ODSEMA) in collaboration with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), security forces, and local divers.
Heavy duty machinery is still being awaited to fully retrieve the fuselage from the thick mire.
Meanwhile, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has ordered the total mobilization of state healthcare resources and logistics to support the military’s ongoing operations.
The area has been strictly cordoned off by security forces to ensure the integrity of the wreckage is maintained for the investigation.
As the nation enters a state of mourning, the pilot’s split-second decision to steer the failing aircraft away from residential blocks toward the unpopulated swamp remains a poignant silver lining for the traumatized residents of Igbokoda.
