Squadron Leader Ahamefule Man-Ugwueje has been identified as the pilot of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) ATR-42-500MP Maritime Patrol aircraft that crashed in Igbokoda, Ondo State, on Monday, killing those on board.
Man-Ugwueje, who reportedly got married just two weeks before the fatal incident, was piloting the aircraft, with registration number NAF 931, during a routine flight from Benin City, Edo State, to Lagos.
According to reports by Sahara Reporters, Samuel Victor was identified as the technician on board the aircraft.
A senior Air Force officer said the aircraft was attached to Squadron Leader MM Haruna, although Haruna was not piloting the aircraft when the crash occurred.
The aircraft was operated by the NAF’s 81 Air Maritime Group in Benin City and was primarily deployed for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions, as well as limited transport operations.
Reports also indicated that some newly commissioned pilot officers were among those on board. Their identities had yet to be officially released at the time of reporting, reportedly because their families had not been formally notified.
The ill-fated aircraft was acquired under a $73 million agreement signed in 2007 with Alenia Aeronautica, now Leonardo, and was delivered to Nigeria in December 2010.
It was subsequently flown to Germany in January 2022 for Periodic Depot Maintenance and returned to Nigeria in late December 2024.
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, said air traffic controllers lost contact with the aircraft at about 9:13 a.m. while it was en route from Benin to Lagos.
Efforts to re-establish communication were unsuccessful before reports emerged that the aircraft had crashed near the Naval Base in Igbokoda, Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State.
The Nigerian Air Force, through its spokesperson, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, confirmed the crash and said search-and-rescue operations had been activated in coordination with relevant authorities.
The crash has sparked widespread grief, with families, colleagues and Nigerians mourning the military personnel who lost their lives in the tragic incident.
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