No survivors: Tinubu confirms all 32 dead in Nigerian air force crash, declares three-day national mourning

Nigeria was plunged into mourning on Monday after a Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 aircraft crashed in Igbokoda, Ondo State, killing all 32 people aboard and triggering a wave of grief across the country. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, describing the crash as a devastating blow to the armed forces and the entire nation, declared three days of national mourning and directed that the Nigerian flag be flown at half-mast nationwide in honour of the victims. The aircraft, with registration number NGR 931, was carrying 25 passengers and seven crew members when it went down near a naval base in Igbokoda, in the Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, while undertaking a routine mission from Benin City, Edo State, to Lagos. Air traffic controllers lost contact with the aircraft at about 9:13 a.m. on Monday. The wreckage was later located in a swampy area near the naval base, with debris and personal effects scattered around the crash site. A massive emergency operation followed, involving the Nigerian Air Force, security agencies, emergency responders and the Ondo State Government. By Monday evening, Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa said the search had produced no survivor. 'From the information we got, no single life was saved up to this moment. They could not see any living soul that was in that aircraft,' he said. 'This is a painful moment for our Armed Forces and for the entire nation,' Tinubu said in a condolence message to the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, and all officers, airmen and airwomen of the Nigerian Air Force. 'Our Air Force personnel put their lives on the line every day to secure Nigeria. Their sacrifice will never be forgotten.' The President directed the Nigerian Air Force to immediately commence a thorough investigation into the cause of the crash to prevent future occurrences, and commended the Air Force for its prompt search and rescue response alongside first responders and the Ondo State Government. The Air Force will release the identities of the victims after notifying their families, the presidency said. It is one of the deadliest military aviation disasters in recent years in Africa's most populous country.