The Nigerian Air Force acknowledges Igbokoda residents’ concerns over decaying crash victims polluting waterways and pledges to coordinate environmental assessments after recovery operations.
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has acknowledged concerns raised by residents of Igbokoda in Ondo State over the potential environmental impact of last Monday’s plane crash in the community’s swamps, pledging to coordinate appropriate action after recovery operations.
The response follows an outcry by Afolabi Odidiomo, the traditional ruler of Igbokoda, who said the community was facing serious health concerns following the crash.
In an interview with PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday, the monarch said the decaying bodies of crash victims were polluting the swamp, a tributary linked to the community’s potable water reserves.
“The concern of everybody in this community today is that our government spent time, energy, money, and effort looking for people that had been chopped into pieces by the crash. The pieces that are floating everywhere in our rivers. The pieces that have decayed left so much stench that is unbelievable,” the monarch said.
“Going close to the river is so scary now for children who usually go to swim when they return from school, because they see human flesh everywhere as they swim. Fish are also dying everywhere.”
In a statement on Thursday, Ehimen Ejodame, NAF director of public relations and information, said the air force was taking the community’s concerns seriously.
“The NAF recognises the discomfort, anxiety and uncertainty such circumstances may cause and assures the affected community that their concerns are being taken seriously,” the statement reads.
The NAF 931 aircraft, which was carrying 25 passengers, plunged into the Igbokoda swamps on October 5, 2026.
