The Ondo State Governor, Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, has said the pilot of the Nigerian Air Force aircraft that crashed at Igbokoda, Ilaje Local Government Area of the state, averted a bigger disaster by manoeuvring the aircraft away from the centre of the community before it crashed into a swamp.

Governor Aiyedatiwa made the disclosure on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, when he visited the crash site as search and recovery operations continued for the victims and the main wreckage of the aircraft.

The governor described the incident as a national tragedy, adding that no survivor had been found at the scene as of the time of his visit.

According to Aiyedatiwa, residents who witnessed the incident said the aircraft appeared to be descending with a sound suggesting an engine problem and was seemingly heading towards the community.

He said the pilot, however, managed to manoeuvre the aircraft away from the populated area before it landed approximately 200 metres away and plunged into the swamp.

“Only the pilot could explain the effort made to manoeuvre the aircraft away from the community,” the governor said.

The aircraft, which was reportedly carrying Nigerian Air Force personnel on a special mission from Benin to Lagos, crashed at Igbokoda on Monday.

Aiyedatiwa said the cause of the crash could only be established through an investigation, noting that about 25 occupants were believed to have been on board.

He visited the site alongside personnel of the Nigerian Navy and Nigerian Air Force, divers, officials of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the State Emergency Management Agency and local residents who had been involved in rescue efforts since the incident occurred.

Describing the crash site as a “very gory sight”, the governor said body parts, clothes, jackets belonging to Air Force personnel and fragments of the aircraft had been recovered and preserved for investigation.

He said the main body of the aircraft had yet to be located, as it was believed to be deeply submerged in the swamp.

Aiyedatiwa explained that the difficult terrain had hindered access to the crash site, prompting him to direct the state Ministry of Works to deploy two amphibious machines, popularly known as swamp boogies, to create wider access through the waterways.

According to him, the machines had enabled rescue teams to move larger boats closer to the crash site and were also being used to excavate the area in search of additional wreckage and the main body of the aircraft.

The governor said Navy personnel and local divers were continuing to search the deeper sections of the swamp for possible bodies and the aircraft's cockpit.

He noted that the depth and nature of the swamp could have caused the aircraft to become deeply submerged in the mud.

Aiyedatiwa also disclosed that aviation fuel was flowing into the surrounding water, resulting in pollution of the area.

The governor expressed relief that the aircraft did not crash in the middle of the community, saying such an occurrence could have resulted in a much greater catastrophe.

He commiserated with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, over the loss of the officers and sympathised with the families of the deceased and the Nigerian Air Force.

According to him, the victims were young and capable Nigerians who had committed themselves to defending the territorial integrity of the country.

He urged Nigerians to continue praying for the bereaved families, describing the incident as a tragedy that nobody expected.

Meanwhile, the Commander of the Nigerian Navy Forward Operating Base, Igbokoda, Captain Andy Alemongwa, briefed the governor on the progress of the ongoing search and recovery operation.

Navy personnel and local divers were said to be continuing their efforts to locate the missing bodies and the main wreckage of the aircraft.