NAF Plane Crash: Newlywed loses husband 20 years after father died in NAF air crash

Twenty years after Flight Lieutenant Damilola Adekunle lost her father in a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) plane crash, her newlywed husband died in Monday’s crash of another NAF plane.

Ms Adekunle’s father, Wing Commander E.O. Adekunle, was among the 13 military officers killed when a NAF Dornier 228 aircraft crashed in Vandeikya, Benue State, on 17 September 2006.

The aircraft, which was travelling from Abuja to Obudu in Cross River State, crashed while carrying senior military officers to a retreat.

Wing Commander Adekunle was one of the two crew members of the ill-fated aircraft.

The 2006 crash claimed the lives of 10 army generals, a lieutenant-colonel, and two wing commanders.

Ms Adekunle followed her father’s footsteps, enlisting in the NAF and becoming a flight lieutenant.

On 19 September 2026, she married Squadron Leader Ahamefule Aham Man-Ugwueje, a fellow NAF officer, in Abuja.

The couple had been married for only 16 days when tragedy struck.

Mr Man-Ugwueje was among 25 people killed on Monday, when NAF 931, an ATR-42 aircraft, crashed in the Igbokoda area of Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State.

NAF said the aircraft was on a routine mission from Benin to Lagos and had five crew members and 20 passengers on board.

There were no survivors. Mr Man-Ugwueje was identified as one of the two co-pilots.

The Air Force has ordered a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash.

Mr Man-Ugwueje’s death barely two weeks after his wedding to Ms Adekunle has drawn widespread attention following the release of the names of the victims.

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The marriage brought together two families with longstanding connections to NAF.

Mr Man-Ugwueje was the son of a retired Group Captain of the NAF, according to reports.

His own career in the service had seen him rise to the rank of squadron leader and serve as a co-pilot on NAF 931.

Ms Adekunle, meanwhile, had inherited her father’s connection to NAF, even after he died in the 2006 crash.

The result is an extraordinary family tragedy spanning two decades and two generations: a daughter who lost her father in a military aircraft crash in 2006 has now lost her husband in another NAF aircraft accident in 2026.

NAF has expressed condolences to the families of the 25 victims and pledged support to the bereaved families as investigations into the crash continue.