Agriculture minister expresses condolences over military air crash

File: The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari

The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, has commiserated with President Bola Tinubu and the Nigerian Air Force over the crash of a Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 aircraft near a naval base in Igbokoda, Ondo State.

In a statement he personally issued on Tuesday, Kyari also expressed condolences to the families of the 25 passengers and seven crew members who reportedly died in the crash.

The minister extended his sympathies to the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, as well as officers, airmen and airwomen of the Nigerian Air Force.

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“I pray that Almighty God grants the bereaved families the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss and that the souls of the departed rest in perfect peace,” Kyari said.

PUNCH Online reports that a military aircraft that crashed on Monday had disappeared from radar shortly after take-off, according to a senior Air Traffic Controller familiar with the aircraft’s final journey.

The aircraft, with tail number NGR 931, was travelling from Benin City, the Edo State capital, to Lagos when air traffic controllers lost contact with it at about 9:13 am, before it crashed into a swamp in Igbokoda, the headquarters of Ilaje Local Government Area in Ondo State.

Olugbenga Ige is a journalist at Punch Newspapers with over nine years of professional reporting experience. He is known for his sharp eye for compelling stories and a strong instinct for identifying newsworthy developments. Over the years, Olugbenga has built a reputation for turning leads into clear, engaging, and well-structured reports that resonate with readers. His work reflects deep newsroom experience, editorial judgment, and a commitment to accurate, impactful journalism.

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