More than a week after a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) aircraft crashed, killing all 25 people on board, grieving families say they are still waiting for answers as military teams search for wreckage and human remains in swampy terrain.

President Bola Tinubu has ordered an investigation into the October 5 crash, but relatives say they have received little information about its cause, whether victims’ remains have been identified or how recovery efforts are progressing.

The NAF said the aircraft was on a routine mission from Benin City to Lagos when it crashed in a remote area of southwestern Nigeria after losing radar contact. The Air Force has yet to disclose the cause of the accident.
The aircraft was carrying 19 military personnel and six civilians.

For Victor Anii, a London-based software developer, the uncertainty has compounded the grief of losing his elder sister, Esther Anii, a sergeant in the Nigerian Air Force.

On the morning of October 5, Anii woke up to a message from his sister asking him to send money for a bus journey from Benin City to Lagos.

Esther had told him that the group had flown from Abuja but stopped in Benin City because of a fault with the aircraft. Tired of waiting, she was considering completing the journey by road.

Hours later, news broke that an NAF aircraft travelling between the two cities had crashed.

“We didn’t know what was going on. We just knew we couldn’t reach her, and her husband couldn’t reach some of his friends on the flight,” Anii said.

The family did not learn that Esther was among the victims until the following day, when the Air Force released a
list of those on board.

Families Demand Answers

Frustrated by what he described as poor communication from the authorities, Anii posted a video online criticising the Air Force’s handling of families affected by the crash.

Two days later, he said, an NAF commander visited his parents’ home in Abuja with two envelopes. One contained a condolence letter, while the family declined to open the second because they suspected it contained cash.

“Whatever that is in it is not enough to take away the pain of my family,” he said.

Asked about assistance for bereaved families and efforts to identify victims’ remains, NAF spokesperson Ehimen Ejodame referred Reuters to Air Force statements announcing support for relatives and intensified search and recovery operations.

He did not address Anii’s allegation that money had been offered to the family.

Damilola Folorunsho, whose 36-year-old brother, Sunday, was among the six civilians on board, said no one had contacted her family since the crash.

“My mum has been living with me since the incident,” she said.

The family lives about 200 kilometres (125 miles) from the crash site in the Igbokoda swamp but does not know whether Sunday’s remains have been recovered or how far the investigation has progressed.

The Air Force did not respond to questions about whether carrying civilians on military aircraft was standard practice.

The crash is the latest in a series of Nigerian military aviation accidents that have raised concerns about safety and accountability.

A review of publicly reported incidents shows that at least nine Nigerian Air Force aircraft accidents killed more than 30 people in the five years preceding the latest crash.

For the families of those killed on October 5, however, the immediate priority remains finding answers about their loved ones, identifying their remains and understanding what caused the tragedy.
With Agency Report