By our reporter 16.10.2026
Families of the 25 passengers and crew that died in the October 5 Nigerian Air Force plane crash have expressed worries over the lack of information on what happened and when would they get the remains of their loves one for proper funeral rights.
Nearly two weeks after the NAF 931 aircraft went down in the swamp forest of Igbokoda, Ondo State not one single remains of the victims have been recovered nor the flight data recorder of the aircraft to assists investigators.
Some of the family members who spoke to Reuters on Friday express their frustrations. This includes Victor Anii a London based computer expert who disclosed that his sister older sister, Esther Anii, a sergeant in the Nigerian Air Force had called on him to provide some money to aid her transportation to Lagos.
She told him the group had flown from Abuja but stopped in Benin City because of a fault with the aircraft. Tired of waiting, she was considering continuing the journey by road.
Hours later, news broke that an NAF aircraft had crashed.
“We didn’t know what was going on. We just knew we couldn’t reach her, and her husband couldn’t reach some of his friends on the flight,” Anii told Reuters.
It was not until the following day, when the Air Force published a list of those on board, that the family learned Esther had been among those killed. Frustrated by what he saw as poor communication from the authorities, Anii posted a video online criticising the Air Force’s handling of families after the crash.
Two days later, he said, an NAF commander visited his parents’ home in Abuja carrying two envelopes. One contained a condolence letter. The family did not open the second because they suspected it contained cash.
“Whatever that is in it is not enough to take away the pain of my family,” he said.
“The most important thing now is to know what happened and ensure it never happens again.”
Another family member Damilola Folorunsho, whose 36-year-old brother Sunday was among the six civilians on board, said no one had contacted her family.
“My mum has been living with me since the incident,” she said. The family, who live about 200 km from the Igbokoda swamp crash site, do not know whether his remains have been recovered or how far the investigation has progressed.
Meanwhile Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, said Friday the Airforce will provide support to the family of the victims while recovery efforts continued at the crash site.
“The NAF recognises that its responsibility to the affected families extends beyond the recovery operations and remains committed to providing the necessary support with compassion, dignity and a deep sense of duty,” said a statement signed by NAF director of public relations and information Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame.
The statement further revealed that recovery teams had deployed several pumping machines to remove water from the area surrounding the crash site in an effort to reach the main wreckage, which remains submerged and deeply embedded in the riverbed.