African Action Congress presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore has called for an independent investigation into the Nigerian Air Force aircraft crash in Igbokoda, Ondo State, arguing that those responsible for aircraft maintenance and procurement should not lead the inquiry.
Sowore made the call during a visit to the crash site on Friday, with footage of the visit shared on X on Saturday.
He criticised the handling of the wreckage and insisted that every part of the aircraft should be recovered and examined by independent experts to determine what caused the crash.
“Those who are responsible for maintenance, procurements should not be the ones investigating what happened. We should bring outsiders,” he said.
Sowore also questioned whether the wreckage was being properly preserved for forensic examination, warning that poor handling could compromise efforts to establish the cause of the accident.
“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 described the loss of lives as unacceptable and urged authorities not to treat the disaster as a routine military accident.
“Something went wrong, and it’s fundamental. And we are just looking at this and saying, oh, they have visited. No, it’s not a matter of the visitors. It’s a matter of the passengers. People died,” Sowore said.
He also lamented that one of the victims had recently married, stressing the human cost of the tragedy.
The Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 aircraft, registration number NAF 931, crashed in Igbokoda, headquarters of Ilaje Local Government Area, on October 5 while flying from Benin City, Edo State, to Lagos on a routine mission.
The Air Force said all 25 people on board — five crew members and 20 passengers — died in the crash.
Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, has said the military will conduct a thorough investigation and ensure that all relevant evidence is secured, documented and examined before any conclusion is reached on the cause of the accident.
Sowore, however, maintained that an external investigation would offer greater independence and public confidence in the findings.
