The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) aircraft that crashed near Igbokoda in Ondo State had reportedly spent nearly three years at a specialist maintenance facility in Germany before returning to Nigeria.
The aircraft, identified as NAF 931, was an ATR-42 involved in a routine mission from Benin to Lagos when it crashed near the Naval Base in Igbokoda on Monday.
According to reports, NAF 931 was taken to the Rheinland Air Service facility in Mönchengladbach, Germany, for maintenance in 2022 and returned to Nigeria in December 2024.
The aircraft subsequently crashed less than two years after its return.
The maintenance history is expected to form part of the information available to investigators, but it does not by itself establish that a mechanical defect or maintenance failure caused the crash.
The Federal Government said the wreckage was located after the aircraft disappeared from radar while travelling from Benin to Lagos. Preliminary information indicated that 25 passengers and seven crew members were aboard.
President Bola Tinubu has ordered a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash.
Authorities are expected to examine the aircraft’s operational, maintenance and flight history, alongside other possible factors, as the investigation progresses.