Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has expressed grief over the Nigerian Air Force aircraft crash in Ondo State that claimed the lives of 25 people.
Atiku, in a statement issued on Tuesday, described the incident as a heartbreaking tragedy, noting that airmen, soldiers and members of their families were among those killed.
“The scale and circumstances of this tragedy are heartbreaking. Among those who lost their lives were airmen, soldiers and members of their families. Lives of service, promise and innocence were extinguished in one devastating moment,” he said.
The former vice president extended his condolences to the families of the victims, the Nigerian Air Force, and the Armed Forces of Nigeria, as well as the governments and people of Nigeria and Ondo State.
He said the circumstances of the tragedy made it difficult to find words capable of comforting the bereaved families.
“No words can adequately comfort parents who have lost children, children who have lost parents, or families suddenly deprived of their loved ones,” Atiku said.
He prayed for the repose of the souls of those who died in the crash and asked God to strengthen their families and the Nigerian Air Force in the aftermath of the tragedy.
“May Almighty God grant eternal rest to the souls of the departed, comfort their grieving families and give the Nigerian Air Force and our nation the strength to bear this painful loss,” he said.
The Nigerian Air Force aircraft, NAF 931, crashed in the Igbokoda area of Ondo State on Monday while reportedly on a routine mission from Benin to Lagos.
