A Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party in Akwa Ibom State, Emem Coffie has described the Nigerian Air Force aircraft crash as a national disaster.
He called for a discreet investigation into the incident to ascertain the immediate and remote causes to forestall a reoccurrence.
Recall that a NAF ATR-42 aircraft crashed during a routine support mission from Benin City to Lagos on Monday, October 5, 2026, where 32 persons on board lost their lives.
Air traffic controllers reportedly lost contact with the aircraft at approximately 9:13 a.m.
Commiserating with the Air Force, families of the deceased and Nigerians in general, Coffie, in a statement on Wednesday, noted that the deceased officer had made the utmost sacrifice for the security, unity and peaceful coexistence of the nation.
He also called on the federal government to show adequate empathy and compensation to families of the deceased.
According to him, “I am deeply saddened by the crash of a Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 aircraft near a naval base in Ondo State, South-West Nigeria. Sadly, the authorities have reported no survivors among the 32 persons on board. This is indeed a national disaster!
“The government of the day should show adequate empathy and compensation to the family of the deceased.”