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The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Disu, on Friday paid a condolence visit to the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, over the Nigerian Air Force aircraft crash in Igbokoda, Ondo State that claimed 25 lives.
The visit was disclosed in a statement signed by the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), CSP Ani Iniedu.
According to the statement, Disu conveyed the condolences of the Nigeria Police Force to the leadership, officers and men of the Nigerian Air Force and to the families of those who died in the crash involving NAF 931.
The IGP expressed solidarity with the Air Force and prayed for strength and comfort for the bereaved families and colleagues of the deceased.
“The Nigeria Police Force remains in solidarity with the Nigerian Air Force at this difficult time and honours the service and sacrifice of those who lost their lives,” the statement reads in part.
The condolence visit comes days after the NAF ATR-42 aircraft, with registration number NAF 931, crashed in the Igbokoda area of Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State on Monday.
The aircraft was on a routine mission from Benin to Lagos when air traffic controllers lost contact with it at about 9:13 a.m.
The wreckage was later located in a swampy area near the Naval Base in Igbokoda.
On Tuesday, the NAF confirmed that all 25 persons on board, comprising five crew members and 20 passengers, died in the crash.
The crew included flight captain, Squadron Leader MI Aburime, and co-pilot, Squadron Leader AP Man-Ugwueje, who was reported to have wedded 16 days before the crash.
President Bola Tinubu has ordered a comprehensive investigation into the crash and declared three days of national mourning, with recovery operations ongoing in the difficult mangrove terrain.
