African Action Congress presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore has demanded an independent investigation into the Nigerian Air Force aircraft crash in Igbokoda, Ondo State, insisting that those involved in the plane’s maintenance and procurement should not lead the inquiry.
Sowore made the call on Friday during a visit to the crash site. He shared a video of the visit on X on Saturday.In the video, he criticised the handling of the wreckage and the remains of the victims.
He stressed that every part of the aircraft must be recovered and examined by independent experts to determine the cause of the accident.
“Those who are responsible for maintenance, procurements should not be the ones investigating what happened. We should bring outsiders,” Sowore said.
He argued that the current approach to managing the site risked compromising the investigation.
“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 added.
Expressing frustration over the loss of life, Sowore said the tragedy should not be treated as routine.
“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,” he stated.
He also noted that one of the victims had recently married.In a post accompanying the video, Sowore said he travelled from Abuja to Akure on Friday before continuing by road to Igbokoda.
There, he met and marched with members of the affected communities and grassroots leaders.
The Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 aircraft, registration NAF 931, crashed in Igbokoda, headquarters of Ilaje Local Government Area, on October 5 while on a routine flight from Benin City, Edo State, to Lagos.
All 25 people on board, five crew members and 20 passengers died.Chief of the Air Staff Air Marshal Sunday Aneke has said the military will conduct a thorough investigation and ensure that relevant evidence is secured, documented and examined before any conclusions are drawn.
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