Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has commended the bravery of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) pilot whose aircraft crashed in Igbokoda, noting that the pilot’s decisive manoeuvres successfully directed the failing plane away from populated areas, thereby averting a major catastrophic disaster in the host community.

Speaking during an assessment visit to the crash site alongside top officials from the Nigerian Navy, Air Force, and emergency response agencies, Governor Aiyedatiwa described the scene as a grave national tragedy. Eyewitness accounts from local residents indicated that the aircraft appeared to experience sudden engine failure and lose altitude rapidly.

However, the pilot managed to steer the aircraft away from residential structures before it crashed into a surrounding swamp approximately 200 metres from the community. The Governor emphasized that only the pilot could fully explain the technical details of the final control actions that saved civilian lives, expressing deep sorrow as all personnel on board are believed to have died in the crash.

Search, rescue, and recovery operations have faced significant hurdles due to the difficult terrain. The main fuselage of the aircraft remains deeply submerged in thick mud and murky swamp waters, prompting the Ondo State Ministry of Works to deploy specialized amphibious machinery—commonly referred to as swamp buggies—to clear waterways and facilitate heavy military equipment access.

Joint operations involving military divers, technical personnel, and local volunteers are currently utilizing specialized sonar equipment and excavation techniques to recover the remaining remains of the victims, retrieve the primary wreckage, and locate the aircraft’s black box to ascertain the definitive cause of the accident.