African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore has called for an independent investigation into the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) aircraft crash in Igbokoda, Ondo State, arguing that personnel responsible for maintenance and procurement should not be involved in investigating the incident.
Sowore made the call during a visit to the crash site on Friday, sharing a video of his visit on X on Saturday.
In the video, the activist criticised the handling of the aircraft wreckage and victims’ remains, insisting that all parts of the aircraft should be recovered and examined by independent experts to establish the cause of the crash.
“Those who are responsible for maintenance, procurements should not be the ones investigating what happened. We should bring outsiders,” he said.
Sowore questioned how the crash site and wreckage had been handled, arguing that the process could undermine efforts to determine what happened.
“That’s not how to investigate accidents. How it is done all over the world is that every part of that aircraft must be retrieved and pinned back together by experts because if there had been a bomb blast, how would we know?” he said.
He also expressed anger over the loss of lives, insisting that the incident should not be treated as a routine occurrence.
The activist further lamented that one of the victims had recently married, describing the loss of life as particularly painful.
In a post accompanying the video, Sowore said he travelled from Abuja to Akure on Friday before proceeding by road to Igbokoda, where he met and marched alongside members of affected communities and grassroots leaders.
The Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 aircraft, with registration number NAF 931, crashed in Igbokoda, the headquarters of Ilaje Local Government Area, on October 5, 2026, while on a routine mission from Benin City, Edo State, to Lagos.
The Air Force confirmed that all 25 people on board, comprising five crew members and 20 passengers, died in the accident.
The cause of the crash remains subject to investigation.
