Nigerian Air Force to commemorate Igbokoda crash victims on 26 November
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Vanguard
Illustrative image · Adedire Abiodun · Pexels · Licence PexelsThe Nigerian Air Force will hold a commemorative ceremony on 26 November in Abuja to honour the victims of the Igbokoda crash in Ondo State on 5 October. According to Ehimen Ejodame, the air force’s director of public relations, the tribute will allow families to pay their respects.
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) will hold a commemoration and wreath-laying ceremony on 26 November at the National Military Cemetery in Abuja, in memory of the victims of the NAF 931 aircraft accident that occurred on 5 October in Igbokoda, Ondo State. Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, the NAF’s director of public relations, announced this in a statement published on Sunday.
The ceremony will allow bereaved families, colleagues and loved ones to pay a final tribute to those who died, and will formally mark the institution’s respect. According to Mr Ejodame, the cockpit voice recorder (CVR), found along with other aircraft fragments and evidence, is being analysed. The data is expected to weigh heavily on the investigation conducted with the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
Recovery operations have also brought up several human remains and aircraft debris; their identification is under way. The marshy terrain and the deep sinking of part of the wreckage complicated the operations. The NAF says it is working with the relevant agencies on restoring the environment once the work is completed, and assures that it will continue to support the families over the long term.
The announcement comes more than a month after the 5 October crash. On 14 October, following the ATR accident in Ondo, the air force had tightened its controls; on 15 October, a lawyer called in Abuja for an investigation into the air force.
