The Ondo State Government has deployed swamp buggies to aid the recovery of a Nigerian Air Force aircraft that crashed in a swampy area in Igbokoda, Ilaje Local Government Area of the state.

The state Commissioner for Health, Banji Ajaka, disclosed this on Tuesday while speaking with journalists at the crash site.

Ajaka explained that the specialised swamp vehicles were deployed because the aircraft had sunk deep into the swamp, making it difficult for conventional vehicles and boats to access the wreckage.

According to him, the aircraft crashed about 500 metres east of the Nigerian Naval Forward Operating Base in Igbokoda after the pilots diverted it away from the community.

He said the pilots' decision to steer the aircraft away from the community helped prevent what could have been a more devastating incident.

“Let’s start with a real story. It’s not news for the whole country that aircrafts are carrying about 32 persons — 25 passengers and seven crew members, making 32. That’s a serious situation,” Ajaka said.

“That’s a fact. It must be verified. This is a verified fact. So, crash landed and dived into the forest close to the Naval base, about 500 metres east of the Naval base.

“And I think from the eyewitness, the thing would have caused a terrible accident in the whole of the Igbokoda community.

“But for the bravery of the pilots, they diverted the thing away from the community, so that it landed in the forest close to the community.”

The commissioner said the search-and-rescue operation had been ongoing since Monday, involving the state government, security agencies, local authorities and other relevant agencies.

“So, since yesterday, the search and rescue operation is going on. We joined the CO of the Forward Operating Base in Igbokoda and we’ve been on rescue operations.

“The state government deployed the entire Ministry of Health. Since yesterday, I’m representing the chairman of the local government, the officers of the local government agencies, SEMA, the environmental safety officers, and everybody. We’ve been at the scene since yesterday.”

Ajaka said the swamp buggies became necessary because other means of transportation could not reach the location where the aircraft came to rest.

“The latest is that the swamp buggy has been deployed. It has been ordered to go there because that’s what’s needed now. The swamp buggies — you can see two of them here now.

“It’s not an easy thing. It’s not something that you can… It’s not just a vehicle that will go, or a speedboat that will just go.

“You can see. And this one comes with a low bed. I brought it. This one, I have to bring all of this to float and swim down to the other side so that they will get to the depth of where the body of the aircraft is.”

He explained that the force of the crash had caused the aircraft to sink deep into the swamp.

“It has gone down. You know the force now — the weight and the force with which it went down.

“So, that is what we’re doing now. There is no delay. We are deploying as fast as possible.”

Ajaka added that the state Commissioner for Environment and senior military officers were at the scene to coordinate the recovery operation.

“You can see the Honourable Commissioner of Environment is here too, having deployed the swamp buggy.

“We are all coordinating the activities with the CO, Forward Naval Operation Base. You can also see that the CO Western Naval Command has just come, and the operation officers of the Air Force.

“You know, two-star generals. Two of them. They were around, and we went to the site.”

According to the commissioner, divers were also working at the crash site and had begun recovering parts of the aircraft.

“We see rescue. The divers are doing their work. We are bringing wrecks out.

“For the body, the real body, this has to go down. Excavate deep down for the thing to be brought down.

“We have not seen a major body. We have not seen. By the time we bring the body out, we will be able to see the corpses.”

Describing the incident as a sad development, Ajaka commiserated with the Nigerian Air Force, the Armed Forces and the people of Ondo State.

“So it’s a sad situation. We commiserate with Nigerian Air Force. We commiserate with all Nigerians. We commiserate with the entire Armed Forces and the people of our state.

“And the thing that happened in our state. We pray that God will not allow this kind of thing to happen in our country anymore.”

Ajaka said the recovery operation would continue until the aircraft and victims were recovered.

The aircraft, which had 25 passengers and seven crew members on board, crashed into a swampy area in Igbokoda, the headquarters of Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, on Monday, October 5, 2026.

It was reportedly on a routine mission from Benin City, Edo State, to Lagos when contact with air traffic controllers was lost at about 9:13 a.m.

President Bola Tinubu subsequently expressed condolences to the families of the victims and directed the Nigerian Air Force to commence a thorough investigation into the cause of the crash.