Squadron Leader Aham Man Ugweje of the Nigerian Air Force has been identified as the pilot of the military aircraft that crashed in Igbokoda, Ondo State.
The aircraft, an ATR-42-500MP Maritime Patrol aircraft with registration number NAF 931, was reportedly on a routine mission from Benin City to Lagos when it crashed on Monday.
Military sources said Ugweje was piloting the aircraft, while a technician identified as Samuel Victor was also on board.
A senior Air Force officer reportedly confirmed that although the aircraft was attached to Squadron Leader MM Haruna, Ugweje was the officer flying it at the time of the incident.
Another military source said Ugweje had recently married, reportedly just two weeks before the crash.
The aircraft was operated by the 81 Air Maritime Group based in Benin City, Edo State, and is one of two ATR-42 aircraft used by the Nigerian military for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and limited transport operations.
Sources also disclosed that some newly commissioned pilot officers were among those on board. However, their identities have not been released because their families had reportedly not yet been officially informed.
The aircraft was acquired under a $73 million agreement signed in 2007 with Alenia Aeronautica, now known as Leonardo, and was delivered to Nigeria in December 2010.
It was reportedly taken to Germany in January 2022 for periodic maintenance at the Rheinland Air Service facility in Monchengladbach. The aircraft remained there for nearly four years before returning to Nigeria in December 2024.
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, said air traffic controllers lost contact with the aircraft around 9:13 a.m. while it was travelling from Benin to Lagos.
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According to Keyamo, attempts to establish communication with the aircraft failed before authorities received information that it had crashed near the Naval Base in Igbokoda, Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State.
The Nigerian Air Force confirmed the accident and said search and rescue operations had been activated in collaboration with relevant authorities.
Preliminary information indicated that 25 passengers and seven crew members were on board, bringing the reported number of occupants to 32.
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