Monarch, residents lament stench of decomposing bodies, aviation fuel
Following the crash of an ATR-42 aircraft in Igbokoda, Ondo State, last week, which claimed 32 lives, the Senate has demanded a detailed account of funds allocated for Nigerian Air Force (NAF) aircraft maintenance.
This was as NAF intensified search and recovery efforts. The body has also constituted a 12-member board to investigate the incident.
The lawmakers also called for a transparent investigation into the October 5 crash, directing NAF and the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) to establish the immediate and underlying causes of the incident.
Similarly, the House of Representatives called for an independent investigation into the fatal crash.
More than a week after the tragedy, residents of the coastal community are confronting a worsening environmental and public health situation, with decomposing human remains and spilt aviation fuel said to be contaminating the river.
The Senate reached the resolutions yesterday following a motion sponsored by the Chairman of Senate Committee on Air Force, Osita Ngwu (PDP, Enugu West).
Ngwu told the lawmakers that the aircraft, with tail number NGR 931, was reportedly on a routine mission from Benin City to Lagos when it crashed near the Naval Base in Igbokoda, headquarters of Ilaje Local Council of Ondo State.
He said air traffic controllers lost contact with the aircraft at about 9:13 a.m., while efforts to reach the crew by radio proved unsuccessful till search-and-rescue teams located the wreckage.
The incident has raised fresh questions about the maintenance of military aircraft, the condition of ageing fleets and the safety procedures governing military aviation operations.
Senator Adams Oshiomhole (APC, Edo North) intensified the scrutiny by asking the NAF to submit details of its aircraft maintenance budget to the Senate through the relevant committee.
Oshiomhole said the lawmakers needed to establish how much the Air Force allocated for maintaining the aircraft involved in the crash.
Seconding the additional prayer, Senator Titus Tartenger (APC, Benue North-West) called for an assessment of the funds provided for aircraft maintenance and whether the allocation was adequate.
The Senate subsequently mandated its committees on Air Force and Aviation to visit the crash site, engage relevant military authorities and assess the serviceability and airworthiness of military aircraft.
They called on the NAF and NSIB to make the findings of their investigation public.
In the same vein, the House, during plenary yesterday, called for a comprehensive audit of military aircraft and their maintenance systems.
That was after Alhassan Usman (APC, Kano) moved an urgent motion on the incident, urging the Federal Government to strengthen aircraft maintenance, ensure adequate funding for the military and improve operational safety.
Usman said the loss of military personnel underscored the need for sustained investment in military aviation infrastructure, aircraft maintenance and the logistical support required to keep military aircraft operational and safe.
Donald Ojogo (APC, Ondo) supported the motion but called for an independent investigation into the crash, saying the circumstances surrounding the incident required further scrutiny.
He added that the proposed investigation should not prevent NAF from conducting its own inquiry.
NAF disclosed the intensive search-and-recovery efforts in a statement signed by the Force Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, yesterday, noting that the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureauwould establish the circumstances surrounding the crash, determine its causes and recommend measures to prevent a recurrence.
Ejodame quoted the Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, as directing sustained search-and-recovery efforts alongside a comprehensive investigation into the accident.
According to the statement, Head of the Investigation and Recovery Team, AVM Elijah Ebiowe, is coordinating the wider response, while AVM Francis Ankeli is serving as president of the investigation board.
NAF said it had intensified search and recovery operations following the accident, while the investigation would examine operational, technical, environmental, human and organisational factors that may have contributed to the crash.
Ejodame disclosed yesterday that Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and NSIB were participating in the investigation.
The Air force said Air Marshal Aneke had directed sustained search and recovery efforts alongside a comprehensive investigation into the accident.
NAF had confirmed that all 25 people on board, comprising five crew members and 20 passengers, died in the crash.
Meanwhile, the persistent foul odour from the crash site has spread into residential neighbourhoods, forcing residents to demand the urgent recovery of human remains, an environmental cleanup, and the provision of safe drinking water to prevent further hardship.
The Olu of Igbokoda, Oba Afolabi Odidiomo, who described the situation as imperative, stated that the stench had become unbearable and attributed it to human remains still trapped in the swamp where the aircraft went down.
The monarch also raised the alarm over possible fuel pollution, noting that traces of aviation fuel were visible on the river some distance from the crash site.
“The odour is extremely offensive. So many parts of the human body are floating on the river. Some of the bodies have not been recovered. They have decomposed, and it is affecting everything,” the monarch stated.
