Nigerian Air Force ATR-42-500MP 931 Crash Kills 25, Including At Least Five Civilians, Renewing Scrutiny Of Military Aircraft Use
Why It MattersThe crash puts a spotlight on the carriage of civilian passengers on military surveillance aircraft in Nigeria, a practice that sits outside ordinary civil aviation oversight.
Nigerian Air Force (NAF) 931, an ATR-42-500MP maritime patrol aircraft, crashed in a swamp in Igbokoda, Ondo State, on Monday, October 5, 2026, killing 25 people. At least five of the victims were civilians, including Mrs Ezeh Nneka, Godstmine Tarabina, Joy Micheal, Sunday Micheal, Ukeme David and Gideon Omotola. Ukeme David, a student of Akwa Ibom State University, had travelled to Benin to see his sick father and boarded the flight to Lagos after being told a military aircraft was heading there.
The ATR-42-500MP is a surveillance aircraft fitted with maritime search radar and electro-optical sensors, intended for maritime patrol and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance missions, with secondary search-and-rescue and limited transport roles. Nigeria operated two of the type, NAF 930 and NAF 931, assigned to the 81 Air Maritime Group in Benin, Edo State. They were bought under a $73 million contract signed in March 2007 with Alenia Aeronautica (now Leonardo of Italy), which included crew training, logistics and spare parts.
On October 15, 2022, NAF 930 became the first aircraft to land at the newly built Ekiti Cargo Airport, carrying then Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika. A video circulating on social media shows a civilian woman filming herself inside the cabin of NAF 930; social media users allege the people in it are related to Minister of State for Defence Bello Matawalle, a claim that has not been verified.
NAF 931 returned from Programmed Depot Maintenance in Germany in December 2024 after three years in storage, and was subsequently used for VIP movement, airlifting of students and personnel and other operational duties. A military source said the aircraft left Abuja on Sunday, October 4, with passengers to disembark in Benin before proceeding to Lagos, developed an engine fault in Benin, was worked on overnight and took off Monday morning for Lagos before crashing minutes after take-off.
