Ebenezer Adurokiya, Reporting
FAMILIES of the 25 passengers and crew members who died in the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) aircraft crash in Ondo State have expressed frustration over the lack of information about the incident and uncertainty over when their loved ones’ remains will be recovered for burial.
Nearly two weeks after the NAF 931 aircraft crashed in a swampy forest in Igbokoda, Ondo State, on October 5, no human remains or the aircraft’s flight data recorder had been recovered, according to a Reuters report.
The families have raised concerns over the pace of the recovery operation, communication from the authorities and the progress of investigations into the crash.
Some relatives who spoke to Reuters on Friday recounted their experiences, describing the emotional distress caused by the uncertainty surrounding the fate of their loved ones.
One of them, Victor Anii, and this a London-based computer expert, said his elder sister, Esther Anii, a sergeant in the Nigerian Air Force, had contacted him shortly before the crash to request money to assist with her transportation to Lagos.
According to him, Esther had informed him that the group had flown from Abuja but stopped in Benin City after a technical fault was discovered on the aircraft.
Tired of waiting, she was considering continuing the journey to Lagos by road.
Hours later, news emerged that a Nigerian Air Force aircraft had crashed.
“We didn’t know what was going on. We just knew we couldn’t reach her, and her husband couldn’t reach some of his friends on the flight,” Anii told Reuters.
The family learnt that Esther was among the victims only the following day, when the Air Force released a list of those on board the aircraft.
Disturbed by what he considered inadequate communication from the authorities, Anii subsequently posted a video online criticising the Air Force’s handling of the families affected by the tragedy.
He said a NAF commander visited his parents’ home in Abuja two days later, carrying two envelopes.
While one contained a condolence letter, the family declined to open the second because they suspected it contained cash.
“Whatever that is in it is not enough to take away the pain of my family,” Anii said.
He added that the family’s priority was to understand the circumstances surrounding the crash and prevent a recurrence.
“The most important thing now is to know what happened and ensure it never happens again,” he said.
Another relative, Damilola Folorunsho, whose 36-year-old brother, Sunday, was among the six civilians on board the aircraft, said her family had not received any communication from the authorities.
“My mum has been living with me since the incident,” she said.
Folorunsho said her family, which lives about 200 kilometres from the crash site in Igbokoda, remained uncertain about whether her brother’s remains had been recovered and how far the investigation had progressed.
Meanwhile, the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, has assured the bereaved families of the Nigerian Air Force’s support as recovery efforts continue at the crash site.
In a statement issued on Friday and signed by the Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, the Air Force said its responsibility to the affected families extended beyond the recovery operation.
“The NAF recognises that its responsibility to the affected families extends beyond the recovery operations and remains committed to providing the necessary support with compassion, dignity and a deep sense of duty,” the statement said.
The Air Force also disclosed that recovery teams had deployed several pumping machines to drain water from the area surrounding the crash site.
The operation is aimed at providing access to the aircraft’s main wreckage, which remains submerged and deeply embedded in the riverbed.
The crash has left families waiting for answers about the circumstances of the tragedy, the recovery of their loved ones and the outcome of investigations into the incident.
