Relatives of the 25 people killed in a Nigerian Air Force crash are seeking clearer explanations from authorities. MyJoyOnline reports that more than a week after the October 5 incident, military teams are still searching for wreckage and human remains in the swampy terrain of southwest Nigeria. Families say they have received limited information about what caused the accident or how the recovery process is progressing.
The Air Force stated that the plane was traveling on a scheduled route from Benin City to Lagos when it lost radar contact and fell in a remote area. According to the publication, the aircraft carried 19 military personnel and six civilians, but the specific cause of the failure has not yet been released. President Bola Tinubu has directed an inquiry into the event, yet relatives feel the flow of information from the military has been inconsistent.
Victor Anii, a software developer based in London, lost his sister Esther, a sergeant in the Air Force. He recounted how she had messaged him on the morning of the crash regarding a flight delay, only for news of the accident to break hours later. Frustrated by what he viewed as poor communication, Anii posted a video online criticizing the Air Force's handling of the situation. He noted that a commander later visited his parents in Abuja with a condolence letter and an unopened envelope containing cash, which the family suspected was meant to ease their grief.
Damilola Folorunsho, whose 36-year-old brother Sunday was one of the civilians on board, said her family had not been contacted directly. Her mother has been living with her since the incident, and the family, located about 200 kilometers from the Igbokoda swamp crash site, remains uncertain about whether Sunday’s remains have been recovered. NAF spokesperson Ehimen Ejodame told Reuters that the Air Force had pledged support to families and intensified search operations, though he did not specifically address the allegation about the cash envelope.
The crash is part of a broader pattern of Nigerian military aviation accidents. A review of publicly reported incidents cited by MyJoyOnline shows that at least nine NAF aircraft accidents killed more than 30 people in the five years prior to this crash. For Anii, the focus is on accountability rather than compensation, summarizing that the priority is understanding the failure to prevent future incidents.