By Banji Ayoola
Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa was moved close to tears on Wednesday as he inspected the site of the Nigerian Air Force ATR aircraft crash at Igbokoda, headquarters of Ilaje Local Government Area of the state.
The plane, which crashed on Monday, was having five crew members and 20 others on board, none of whom had been discovered alive since the fatal incident.
However the search for survivors of the crash still continues with the hope that many of the victims may still be alive but trapped in the main wreckage of the plane, which is also yet to be found.
At the scene, a visibly emotional Aiyedatiwa described the crash as a national tragedy, noting sorrowfully that no survivor had been found as of the time of his visit.
Nevertheless, amid his sorrow, he praised the crashed plane’s pilot for averting what he described as a worst disaster which occured barely 200 metres away from the thickly populated fishing town of Igbokoda.
The ill-fated aircraft, was carrying Nigerian Air Force personnel on a special mission from Benin to Lagos.
Aiyedatiwa said only the pilot could have explained the cause of the crash.
Accompanying the governor on the visit were the Deputy Governor, Dr Olayide Adelami; Secretary to the State Government, Dr Taiwo Fasoranti, members of the State Executive Council and Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Emergency Management, Mr. Wellington Oriade Adebawo.
There were also Nigerian Navy and Air Force personnel, divers, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Director for the Southwest, the State Emergency Management Agency director and local residents who had participated in rescue efforts since Monday.
The Governor described the scene as a “very gory sight”, with parts of bodies, clothes and jackets belonging to Air Force personnel and broken aircraft parts recovered and preserved for further investigation.
He said the main body of the aircraft had not been sighted as it was believed to be submerged in the swamp.
According to him, the difficulty in accessing the site prompted him to direct the Ministry of Works to deploy two amphibious machines, popularly known as swamp boogies, to open wider access through the waterways.
He said the machines had enabled rescue teams to move bigger boats closer to the crash site and were being used to excavate the soil in search of other parts of the wreckage or the main body of the aircraft.
The governor said the aircraft had still not been sighted as of the time of his visit, while Navy personnel and local divers continued searching the deeper sections of the area for possible bodies and the cockpit.
He said the nature and depth of the swamp could have caused the aircraft to become deeply submerged in the mud.
Aiyedatiwa also disclosed that jet fuel was flowing into the water, resulting in pollution of the area with aviation fuel.
He expressed gratitude that the aircraft did not crash in the middle of the community, saying that would have resulted in a major catastrophe.
According to him, residents who witnessed the incident said the aircraft appeared to be coming down with a sound suggesting a bad engine and was almost landing within the community.
He said the pilot managed to manoeuvre the aircraft away from the community before it landed about 200 metres away and went straight into the swamp.
Governor Aiyedatiwa said only the pilot could explain the effort made to manoeuvre the aircraft away from the community.
The governor commiserated with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, over the loss of the officers.
He also sympathised with the families of the deceased and the Nigerian Air Force, describing the victims as able and young Nigerians who had signed up to defend and protect the territorial integrity of the country.
He urged Nigerians to continue praying for the families of the deceased, saying their death was not what anybody expected.
Meanwhile, the Commander of the Nigerian Navy Forward Operating Base, Igbokoda, Captain Andy Alemongwa, briefed the governor on the progress of the search and rescue operation.
The briefing came as Navy personnel and local divers continued efforts to locate the missing bodies and the main wreckage of the aircraft.
The Nigerian Air Force, which, on Tuesday, released the identities of the 25 victims on board the crashed plane, had identified it as NAF 931 on a routine mission from Benin to Lagos.
It said the aircraft had five crew members and 20 passengers on board, and that no survivor was found following the crash.
The NAF spokesperson, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, in a statement on Tuesday, identified the five crew members as Squadron Leader MI Aburime, the flight captain; Squadron Leader AP Man-Ugwueje, co-pilot; Flight Lieutenant IS Bako, co-pilot; Warrant Officer Abubakar A, aircraft technician; and Corporal Uguru HC, aircraft technician.
The 20 passengers were Flight Lieutenant TL Lazarus; Flight Lieutenant M Akinloye; Flying Officer IM Adeshina; Master Warrant Officer Onwuka F; Master Warrant Officer Matini BA; Warrant Officer Nuhu FS; Flight Sergeant James RB; Flight Sergeant Mohammed AI; Sergeant Ani AE; Sergeant Izibenikien SI; Sergeant Alafuka C; Sergeant Mbadugha AN; Lance Corporal Ugwuba FC; Lance Corporal Eledan GE; Mrs Ezeh Nneka; Godstmine Tarabina; Joy Micheal; Sunday Micheal; Ukeme David; and Gideon Omotola.
