Conflicting figures have emerged over the number of people aboard the Nigerian Air Force aircraft that crashed in the Igbokoda area of Ondo State, with the Aviation Minister, Festus Keyamo, and the Nigerian Air Force giving different accounts.

While Keyamo initially said 32 people were aboard the aircraft, comprising 25 passengers and seven crew members, the Nigerian Air Force later put the number at 25, made up of 20 passengers and five crew members.

The discrepancy became apparent after the NAF released the names of all 25 persons it said were on board NAF 931 and confirmed that none survived the accident. The service said its search-and-rescue operation had accounted for everyone aboard the aircraft.

The NAF identified the five crew members as Squadron Leader M. I. Aburime, Squadron Leader A. P. Man-Ugwueje, Flight Lieutenant I. S. Bako, Warrant Officer A. Abubakar and Corporal H. C. Uguru, while 20 others were listed as passengers.

The NAF said the aircraft was operating a routine mission from Benin to Lagos when it crashed in the Igbokoda area. It added that the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, had ordered a full investigation into the circumstances of the crash.

The service also appealed to the public to avoid speculation and the spread of unverified information, while assuring the families of those who died of its support.

Keyamo’s earlier account followed information he said he received after air traffic controllers reported that the aircraft had disappeared from radar while travelling from Benin to Lagos at about 9:13 a.m.

The minister said efforts to establish contact with the aircraft initially failed before its crash near the Naval Base in Igbokoda was confirmed. He had disclosed that 32 people were believed to have been aboard, comprising 25 passengers and seven crew members.

According to Vanguard, the seven-person difference between the two official accounts has not been explained in the statements issued by the Aviation Minister and the Nigerian Air Force.