The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has confirmed that a military aircraft crashed in Igbokoda, Ondo State, after it disappeared from radar on a flight from Benin to Lagos.
In a statement on Monday, Keyamo said the aircraft, tail number NGR 931, went missing at about 9:13 a.m. after air traffic controllers lost contact with it.
"All efforts to raise the aircraft on radio proved abortive," he said.
The minister said later information confirmed that the aircraft crashed close to the Naval Base in Igbokoda.
He said the wreckage had been located and search and rescue operations were ongoing.
Keyamo said preliminary information showed that 25 passengers and seven crew members, 32 people in all, were on board.
He stressed that the control and regulation of military aircraft fall completely outside the authority of his ministry and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority.
He said he had spoken with the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, and pledged the ministry's "total cooperation and assistance" in the rescue effort.
"Further information on this unfortunate incident will be made available subsequently," Keyamo added.
The Nigerian Air Force earlier said the aircraft was on a routine mission from Benin to Lagos.
The Ondo State Police Command also confirmed the crash, with its spokesperson, DSP Jimoh Abayomi, saying details were still emerging.
There has been no official word on casualties or survivors, and the cause of the crash has not been established.
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