Ondo plane crash: Pilot averted bigger disaster, says monarch

The monarch of Igbokoda, Oba Afolabi Odidiomo, has praised the pilot of a Nigerian Air Force aircraft that crashed in the Ondo community, expressing relief that the disaster spared the town. The tragic incident, which claimed the lives of all 25 individuals on board, occurred on Monday, October 5, while the aircraft was en route from Benin to Lagos.

The NAF ATR-42, registration number NAF 931, plummeted into a swampy area near the Naval Base in Igbokoda after air traffic controllers lost contact with the plane around 9:13am. Five crew members and 20 passengers were on board, with no survivors. President Bola Tinubu declared a three-day national mourning period and ordered a thorough investigation into the crash.

Odidiomo, reflecting on the incident, emphasized the community's deep distress and the pilot's selfless sacrifice, acknowledging that the consequences could have been significantly more devastating if the aircraft had crashed within the town. The monarch also revealed that residents actively searched for survivors upon witnessing the crash, employing unconventional methods such as using axes and makeshift boats with chains in their efforts to recover the wreckage.