NAF corrects Ondo crash manifest to 25 as investigation continues
The Nigerian Air Force says 25 people were aboard an ATR-42 aircraft that crashed near Igbokoda in Ondo State on October 5, 2026, correcting an earlier figure of 32 as the investigation into the cause continues.
According to the Air Force, the aircraft — identified as NAF 931 — was carrying 20 passengers and five crew members on a routine flight from Benin to Lagos.
NAF later said no survivors were found.
The corrected 25-person manifest is the operative official figure currently available.
Earlier 32-person figure corrected
An earlier figure of 32 people circulated in the immediate aftermath of the crash.
NAF later attributed the discrepancy to a misunderstanding over aviation terminology used in early reporting.
That explanation remains the Air Force’s account of how the discrepancy occurred.
The later manifest gives the total number of people aboard as 25 and should be treated as the corrected official record.
Cause remains under investigation
The cause of the crash has not been established in the material reviewed by IDNN.
NAF said a comprehensive investigation was ordered to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.
No competent investigative finding currently reviewed by IDNN establishes weather, mechanical failure, maintenance, pilot action or any other factor as the cause.
Those possibilities therefore remain unverified.
Accountability shifts to investigation findings
The next public-interest question is whether and when investigators will release findings on what caused the crash.
The investigation will also be important in clarifying how the initial 32-person figure entered the public record and how the corrected 25-person manifest was verified.
Accurate passenger and crew accounting is a critical part of the official record after a fatal aviation incident.
Families and public need clarity
The crash carries a significant human cost.
The Air Force has released the names of those aboard, but IDNN is not repeating the full list in this follow-up because the central public-interest issue is the corrected manifest and the unresolved investigation.
That approach also limits unnecessary repetition of victim identities while keeping the focus on accountability and verified facts.
The next test is the investigation
The key questions now are who is leading the investigation, whether findings will be made public, what caused the crash and how the original 32-person figure was corrected to 25.
Until competent investigators establish otherwise, the cause remains unknown and the 25-person manifest remains the operative official figure.
