President Bola Tinubu also announced three days of national mourning for the crash of a military aircraft in Ondo and called for an investigation into the tragedy.
Channels TV also reported that he ordered that flags should be flown at half-mast across the country as a gesture of respect to the officers.
Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga said in a statement yesterday that Tinubu “expresses his deepest condolences to the family of the 25 passengers and seven crew members involved, the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, and all officers, airmen and airwomen of the Nigerian Air Force.”
A military source told our correspondent that all 32 people on board the aircraft were killed in the crash.
The passenger plane was on a “routine mission” from Benin City in southern Nigeria to commercial capital Lagos when it crashed in Igbokoda in Ondo State just after 9:00 am (0800 GMT), the president and the Air Force confirmed. African Art Store
“This is a painful time for our Armed Forces and the whole nation. “Our Air Force personnel are risking their lives everyday to keep Nigeria safe. “Their sacrifice will never be forgotten,” Tinubu was quoted saying.
“I commend the Nigerian Air Force for immediate Search and Rescue operation following the accident. I pray the valiant officers’ souls rest in peace and Almighty God grant their families and the Nigerian Air Force the fortitude to bear the tragic loss.
“I assure the Nigerian Air Force of our administration’s continuous support as they continue their vital role in securing our nation. “I also thank the first responders and the Ondo State Government for their prompt response at the crash site,” the president stated.
The Air Force will announce the identities of the victims after the victims’ families are notified, the presidency stated.
Aviation minister Festus Keyamo had claimed on X that the plane went down near a navy facility.
Keyamo and Tinubu called it an ATR-42, a twin-engine turboprop, which manufactures say can carry between 30 and 50 passengers.
A video shared on social media shows a small group of people standing beside a river while rescuers comb the area by boat. Tinubu said he had “directed the Nigerian Air Force to immediately commence a thorough investigation into the cause of the crash to prevent future occurrences”. African Art Shop
Dayo Akinte, 39, a firewood hawker who lives about a kilometre (mile) from where the disaster happened, told AFP she heard a sound she believed was “thunder”, referring to the moment she believes the jet went down.
She claimed via telephone that three aircraft had been overhead the scene since the tragedy.
She said someone fishing in the swamp notified the local naval installation and residents in town about the disaster.
Igbokoda is located in Ilaje, an oil-rich part of southern Nigeria.
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