African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore has called for an independent investigation into the crash of a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) ATR-42 aircraft in Igbokoda, Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State.
​Speaking after visiting the crash site on Saturday, October 10, 2026, Sowore insisted that military personnel responsible for aircraft procurement and routine maintenance should be excluded from leading the inquiry into the tragedy.
​During his visit to the crash location in Igbokoda, Sowore argued that allowing internal personnel to investigate the mishap creates a conflict of interest that risks compromising the integrity of the findings.
​”Those who are responsible for maintenance and procurement should not be the ones investigating what happened. We should bring outsiders,” Sowore stated. “That’s not how to investigate accidents. Something went wrong, and it is fundamental. People died, and we must treat this with the transparency it deserves.”
​He expressed condolences to the families of the victims and urged the Federal Government to establish an external, multi-agency board of inquiry to evaluate both the cause of the disaster and the country’s emergency response capabilities.
​The crash involved a NAF ATR-42 military transport aircraft carrying 32 personnel, including 25 passengers and seven crew members.
​Addressing journalists at the site in Igbokoda, the NAF Superintendent of Standards and Evaluation, Air Vice Marshal Ebimobo Ebiowe, confirmed that search-and-recovery teams were actively scouring the area for critical wreckage components.
​”We hope to be able to find critical components of the aircraft that will speak to the investigators, because the aircraft wreckage actually speaks to investigators,” Ebiowe said. “One of them is what the ordinary man calls the black box, the Flight Data Recorder and another component close to it, the Cockpit Voice Recorder.”
​Sowore’s demand follows initial statements issued via his official social media channels on Monday, October 5, 2026, where he first questioned the speed and efficiency of the emergency response teams dispatched to the marshy terrain of Igbokoda.
​He emphasised that beyond investigating the technical failures, the response time, available rescue equipment, and operational obstacles encountered during the search-and-rescue phase must be rigorously audited to prevent similar failures in future national emergencies.
