President John Dramani Mahama has extended Ghana’s condolences to Nigeria following the crash of a Nigerian Air Force aircraft that killed all 25 people aboard.
In a statement issued by Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the president conveyed his sympathy to the families of the victims, the Nigerian Armed Forces and the people of Nigeria, drawing on Ghana’s own experience of a fatal military aviation accident last year.
“As a nation that grieved and still grieving the tragic loss of six of our compatriots in a similar incident barely a year ago, Ghana deeply understands the pain and sorrow that Nigeria is experiencing at this difficult time,” the statement said.
The government further expressed sympathy to the bereaved families, friends and colleagues of the victims and the Nigerian Air Force.
The Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 crashed on October 5 in the Igbokoda area of Ondo State while on a routine mission from Benin to Lagos. The aircraft initially was reported to have been carrying 32 people, but the Nigerian Air Force subsequently confirmed that 25 people , 20 passengers and five crew members, were aboard and that there were no survivors.
President Bola Tinubu ordered a thorough investigation into the crash, while the Defence Headquarters subsequently confirmed that an investigation had been initiated to determine the cause of the accident. As of October 8, no official finding establishing the cause of the crash had been released, with recovery operations and preliminary investigations still underway.
Ghana’s reference to its own tragedy relates to the August 6, 2025 crash of a Ghana Air Force Z-9EH helicopter near Adansi Akrofuom in the Ashanti Region.
The helicopter was travelling from Accra to Obuasi for an official assignment when it crashed, killing all eight people aboard, including Defence Minister Dr Edward Kofi Omane Boamah, Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Dr Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed and three Ghana Air Force personnel.
An investigative board later found that the Ghanaian helicopter experienced a sudden loss of altitude and lift caused by a downdraft associated with changing environmental conditions over high terrain. The investigation established that the aircraft entered instrument meteorological conditions before losing altitude and striking a ridgeline near its destination.
The Ghanaian government noted that the experience of losing its own officials and military personnel in a similar tragedy has deepened the country’s understanding of Nigeria’s grief as the West African nation mourns the latest loss.
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