Military aircraft with 32 on board crashes near Igbokoda naval base in Ondo

A Nigerian military aircraft carrying 32 people crashed close to the Naval Base in Igbokoda, Ondo State on Monday, authorities and media reports said. Rescue and recovery operations are under way at the site.

Multiple outlets report the craft had 32 people on board. Arise News said the manifest included 25 passengers and seven crew members. Two outlets — Nairametrics and Adom Online — identified the aircraft by tail number NGR 931.

According to reports, the plane vanished from radar while flying toward Lagos. Adom Online cited the aviation minister, Festus Keyamo, saying the aircraft lost contact during a flight from Benin to Lagos at about 9:13 a.m. Arise News described the incident as a loss of contact en route to Lagos; Nairametrics likewise said the craft disappeared from radar. These details come from the reports cited and authorities quoted by them.

Rescue teams and military personnel were dispatched to the crash area, and emergency responders have been conducting search-and-rescue activity, sources said. Adom Online reported that scores are feared dead, while Arise News and Nairametrics described ongoing recovery efforts; officials have not released a confirmed casualty tally in the reports.

Why this matters

A military transport crashing near a naval installation raises urgent questions about aviation safety, aircraft maintenance and the coordination of rescue services. The presence of active search-and-rescue teams indicates authorities are treating the event as a serious emergency and working to account for those on board.

What officials have said

Adom Online reported comments from Festus Keyamo, Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, about the aircraft’s disappearance from radar. Beyond those remarks and the details cited above, the reports do not include a full official casualty count or a definitive cause for the crash.

What’s next

The accounts agree that response operations continue. Further information — including an official passenger list, a confirmed death toll, and the results of any technical or investigative work — has not been published in the reports reviewed. Authorities are expected to provide updates as recovery and investigation progress.

Note on sources

This article summarizes details reported by Nairametrics, Arise News and Adom Online. When a fact appeared in only one outlet it has been attributed accordingly; where multiple outlets reported the same information it is presented as corroborated by those reports.