A Nigerian Air Force transport aircraft flies over Nigeria. The image comes as the country observes three days of national mourning following the death of 32 Air Force personnel in an aircraft crash in Ondo State. Photo: Assasse Radio

NNA News - Nigeria has declared three days of national mourning after a Nigerian Air Force aircraft crashed in Ondo State, killing all 32 people on board.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu announced the mourning period on Monday and ordered national flags to be flown at half-mast in honour of the 25 passengers and seven crew members who died. The crash occurred near a naval base in Igbokoda, Ondo State, while the aircraft was travelling from Benin to Lagos on a routine mission. 

“This is a painful moment for our Armed Forces and for the entire nation,” Tinubu said, adding that the personnel had put their lives on the line to secure Nigeria.

The president also ordered the Nigerian Air Force to conduct a thorough investigation into the cause of the crash, saying the findings should help prevent similar incidents in the future. 

The aircraft was an ATR-42 operated by the Nigerian Air Force. Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo said it lost contact with air traffic controllers before the crash, while emergency teams were deployed to the crash site.

Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa said search teams found no survivors. Wreckage, identity cards and military uniforms were recovered from the site, helping authorities establish the identity of the aircraft and those on board.

The Nigerian Air Force has since released the names of the personnel involved and opened a condolence register at its headquarters in Abuja.

The crash has prompted renewed attention to Nigeria's military aviation safety record. One of the country's deadliest previous military aviation accidents occurred in September 1992, when more than 150 military personnel were killed after a Nigerian Air Force aircraft crashed into a canal in Lagos.

Tinubu's government has called for an investigation into Monday's crash to establish what caused the accident and whether measures are needed to prevent another tragedy.

The national mourning period comes as families, the Nigerian Air Force and communities across the country mourn the 32 personnel who died in the crash.