Nigeria mourns 32 killed as military plane crashes into swamp

ByMakuochi Okafor, BBC Africa, Reporting fromLagos and Basillioh Rukanga. 6 October 2026, 07: 33 BST.

Key points

• Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu has declared three days of national mourning after a military aircraft crashed in southern Ondo State, killing 32 individuals.
• The crashed plane, described as an ATR-42 aircraft, carries between 30 and 50 passengers, according to its manufacturers.
• "This is a painful moment for our Armed Forces and for the entire nation, " Tinubu remarked.
• Our Air Force personnel put their lives on the line every day to secure Nigeria.
• The Nigerian Air Force has published the names of those killed, showing that most of those on board were military personnel.

Authorities say the plane was on a routine mission from Benin City to Lagos when it came down in a swamp near a naval base on Monday morning. After reaching the site, the aircraft was discovered to be submerged under water, office-holders noted.

Meanwhile, a resident informed the BBC that clothes and shoes had been identified at the site. Smoke could be seen rising from the area.

It is the deadliest crash involving a Nigerian military aircraft since 1992.

Tinubu offered his deepest condolences for the 25 passengers and seven crew members on board and has ordered a full investigation.

For context, the president additionally ordered national flags to be flown at half-mast nationwide as a mark of respect for those who died.

"Our Air Force personnel put their lives on the line every day to secure Nigeria. Their sacrifice will never be forgotten, " he continued.

Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo earlier remarked he had been informed "of the disappearance of a military aircraft with tail number NGR 931, enroute Lagos from Benin at 0913 hours earlier today".

He remarked "efforts to raise the aircraft on radio proved abortive" before subsequent confirmation that it had crashed near a naval base in Igbokoda, Ondo state. He remarked search and rescue efforts were ongoing.

In practice, the crashed plane, described as an ATR-42 aircraft, carries between 30 and 50 passengers, according to its manufacturers.

Notably, the Nigerian Air Force has published the names of those killed, showing that most of those on board were military personnel.

Tinubu has ordered the Air Force to immediately commence a thorough investigation into the cause of the crash to assist prevent similar incidents going forward.

For context, the Nigerian Air Force plays a key role in the country's military operations, including efforts to tackle armed groups and insecurity in a number of parts of the country.

In May 2021, Nigeria's army chief, Lt-Gen Ibrahim Attahiru, was killed in a plane crash alongside 10 other officers in the north-western state of Kaduna against the backdrop of bad weather.

In February of the same year, seven individuals died after a military plane crashed short of a runway in the capital Abuja. More regarding Nigeria from the BBC.

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'This is our firm': Nigerians show off oil wealth after share-buying frenzy. How Mexican drug cartels have outsourced meth labs to Nigeria.

'If you began running, they shot you' – inside Nigeria's growing kidnapping crisis.

Go to BBCAfrica.com, external for more news from the African continent.

Taken together, the developments around nigeria mourns 32 killed as military plane crashes into swamp point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.