Military aircraft crashes near Naval Base in Ondo, 32 on board

A military aircraft with tail number NGR 931 has crashed near the Naval Base in Igbokoda, Ondo State, after disappearing from radar while travelling from Benin to Lagos.

The development was disclosed by Festus Keyamo, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, in a statement issued on Monday, October 5, 2026.

Preliminary information indicates that 25 passengers and seven crew members were on board the aircraft, while search and rescue operations are ongoing.

Military aircraft crashes near Igbokoda

According to Keyamo, Air Traffic Controllers informed him that the military aircraft disappeared after departing Benin and travelling towards Lagos at 0913 hours. Efforts to establish radio contact with the aircraft were unsuccessful before information later confirmed that it had crashed close to the Naval Base in Igbokoda.

• “I regret to inform the general public that Air Traffic Controllers have informed me of the disappearance of a military aircraft with tail number NGR 931, enroute Lagos from Benin at 0913 hours earlier today.
• “All efforts to raise the aircraft on radio proved abortive. Subsequently information however confirmed that the military aircraft has crashed close to the Naval Base in Igbokoda, Ondo State.
• “Preliminary information suggests that there were 25 passengers and 7 crew members on board,” the statement read in part.

The minister said the wreckage had been located and that search and rescue operations were ongoing.

He added that he had spoken with the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, and pledged the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development’s cooperation and assistance with the ongoing operation.

Nigeria’s recent helicopter crash history

Nigeria has recorded several helicopter crashes and incidents in recent years involving offshore operations, military missions and private flights. There have also been fatal helicopter crashes outside the country involving several prominent Nigerians.

• In October 2024, an East Wind Aviation Sikorsky SK76 helicopter carrying six passengers and two crew members crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near Bonny Finima in Rivers State, killing all eight people on board.
• The helicopter was travelling from Port Harcourt to the NUIM ANTAN oil facility when it went down, while the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency later said a joint recovery operation retrieved the flight data recorder, cockpit voice recorder and more than 80% of the wreckage.
• In August 2023, a Nigerian Air Force MI-171 helicopter crashed in Niger State while conducting a casualty evacuation mission, with the incident subsequently investigated by the Nigerian Air Force.
• In February 2024, an Airbus EC130 helicopter crashed near Halloran Springs in California, United States, killing six people, including four Nigerians — Access Bank chief executive Herbert Wigwe, his wife Doreen Chizoba Wigwe, their son Chizi and former Nigerian Exchange Group chairman Abimbola Ogunbanjo.

The California helicopter had departed Palm Springs and was en route to Boulder City, Nevada, when it crashed in the Mojave Desert. The US National Transportation Safety Board later determined that the pilot’s decision to continue flying in deteriorating weather led to spatial disorientation and loss of control.

Helicopter crashes across Sub-Saharan Africa

The Igbokoda crash comes amid a history of fatal helicopter accidents across Sub-Saharan Africa involving civilian, military and tourism operations. Recent incidents elsewhere on the continent have also involved public officials, military personnel, tourists and prominent business figures.

• In Zimbabwe, billionaire Wicknell Chivayo and his wife, Lucy Muteke, were killed in a helicopter crash in the Marondera rural area, about 70 kilometres east of Harare, on September 30, 2026.
• The helicopter crashed shortly after take-off, while the Zimbabwe Republic Police confirmed that there were no survivors. The cause of the crash was not immediately known and remained under investigation.
• In Kenya, a helicopter crash in Samburu County killed Ecuador’s intelligence chief Michele Sensi-Contugi, his wife Stephany Hollihan and five American tourists during a scenic flight in 2026.

Earlier, in February 2026, six people, including a Kenyan member of parliament, were killed in a helicopter crash in Nandi County.

In April 2024, Kenya’s military chief, Gen Francis Omondi Ogolla, and nine other military personnel were killed when an army helicopter crashed in western Kenya, while two people survived. In June 2021, at least 10 soldiers were also killed when a military helicopter crashed while landing near Nairobi.