The Senate has shelved its planned National Security Summit following the death of 32 Nigerian Air Force personnel in the crash of an ATR-42 aircraft in Igbokoda, Ondo State.

The two-day summit, scheduled for October 12 and 13, 2026, has been postponed indefinitely as the country observes a three-day national mourning declared by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The Leader of the Senate and Chairman of the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on the National Security Summit, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, announced the postponement in a statement on Tuesday.

According to Bamidele, the decision was taken in honour of the 25 officers and seven crew members who lost their lives when the aircraft crashed in Igbokoda, headquarters of Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, on Monday.

The Senate had planned the summit as a platform to examine Nigeria’s worsening security challenges and develop practical measures for protecting lives and property across the country.

Preparations for the summit had been concluded following the completion of zonal public hearings ahead of the national gathering.

However, the fatal aircraft crash and the subsequent declaration of national mourning prompted the Senate to suspend the event until further notice.

President Tinubu had directed that national flags be flown at half-mast nationwide during the mourning period in honour of the fallen military personnel.

The Senate expressed condolences to the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, the Nigerian Armed Forces, particularly the Nigerian Air Force, and the families of the deceased personnel.

Bamidele described the fallen officers and crew members as gallant personnel who paid the supreme price in active service to the nation.

The Senate said a new date for the security summit would be announced in due course and appealed to stakeholders to bear with the legislature during the period of national mourning.