Senate Postpones Security Summit to Honour NAF Aircraft Crash Victims

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Senate has postponed its two-day National Security Summit scheduled for Monday, October 12, and Tuesday, October 13, 2026, until further notice following the tragic crash of a Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 aircraft in Igbokoda, headquarters of Ilaje Local Government Area, Ondo State, which claimed the lives of 20 passengers and five crew members.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Leader of the Senate, Mr Opeyemi Bamidele, who also doubles as the Chairman of the Ad-hoc Committee on the National Security Summit, said the committee had already concluded the plan to hold the summit after the completion of zonal public hearings.

Mr Bamidele, however, said the crash of the NAF ATR-42 aircraft suddenly necessitated the postponement of the national security summit on Monday.

“President Bola Tinubu consequently declared three days of national mourning in honour of 25 officers and seven crew members of the Nigeria Air Force and directed that the national flags be flown at half-mast nationwide,” the lawmaker said.

“With the declaration of national mourning, the Senate resolved that the national security summit should be deferred till further notice in honour of the victims of the crash.”

The Senate also extended its heartfelt condolences “to the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR; the Nigerian Armed Forces, particularly the Nigerian Air Force; and the families of the gallant officers and crew members who paid the supreme price in active service to the fatherland.”

It added that a new date for the summit would be communicated in due course and appealed to all the stakeholders “to take note of the national disaster and bear with the Senate during this period of national mourning.”

The plane crashed near a naval base. The ATR-42 — a twin-engine turboprop that the manufacturers say can carry between 30 and 50 passengers.