‘We Should Bring Outsiders’ – Sowore Demands Independent Probe On Ondo Military Crash 

African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has argued that personnel responsible for maintaining and procuring Nigerian Air Force aircraft should not investigate the crash in Igbokoda, Ondo State.

Recall that the Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 aircraft, registration number NAF 931, crashed in Igbokoda, headquarters of Ilaje Local Government Area, on October 5 during a routine mission from Benin City, Edo State, to Lagos.

The Air Force confirmed that all 25 people on board, five crew members and 20 passengers, died in the crash.

Naija News reports that Sowore, in a post via his 𝕏 handle on Saturday, said he visited the crash site on Friday.

While calling for an independent investigation, Sowore questioned how authorities handled the crash site and wreckage, arguing the process could undermine efforts to establish what happened.

Sowore insisted that experts should recover and examine all parts of the aircraft to establish the cause of the crash.

He also expressed anger over the loss of life, adding that the incident should not be treated as a routine occurrence.

He said, “Those who are responsible for maintenance, procurements should not be the ones investigating what happened. We should bring outsiders.

“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?

“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.”