NAF ATR-42 Crash: Man Who Sometimes Dropped Off Late Pilot Aburime At Airport Speaks

• A man identified as Dese on X shared a personal tribute to pilot Aburime, one of the crew members who died in the NAF 931 crash in Ondo State
• The Nigerian Air Force confirmed all 25 people on board the ATR-42 aircraft perished after it went down in the Igbokoda area during a routine mission
• Chief of the Air Staff Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke ordered a full investigation and opened a condolence register at NAF Headquarters in Abuja

A man who knew one of the crew members aboard the ill-fated Nigerian Air Force flight NAF 931 has taken to X to mourn the loss of pilot Aburime.

The grieving man shared a quiet personal memory that put a human face on the tragedy.

The man, who goes by Dese on X, wrote:

"So sad! I know him very well. Sometimes i dropped him off at the airport whenever he was in Abuja."

The post drew attention online as Nigerians grappled with the scale of the disaster and the stories emerging behind each name on the passenger list.

NAF 931 Crash Claims All 25 on Board

The Nigerian Air Force confirmed that the ATR-42 aircraft, designated NAF 931, crashed in the Igbokoda area of Ondo State while on a routine mission from Benin to Lagos.

All 25 people on board perished in the accident, including five crew members. Pilot Aburime was among those crew members.

Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, responded to the tragedy by ordering a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash.

A condolence register was also opened at the Nigerian Air Force Headquarters in Abuja, where family members, colleagues, and members of the public could pay their respects.

A Personal Loss Behind the Numbers

While official statements focused on the scale of the disaster, Dese's post offered a quieter, more dimension to the grief.

His recollection of dropping the pilot off at the airport on visits to Abuja was a small detail that underlined how sudden and devastating the loss had been, not just for the Air Force, but for ordinary people who had known these individuals in everyday life.

The crash has prompted widespread mourning across Nigeria, with many people sharing tributes and condolences for the soldiers, crew, and passengers who lost their lives.

See the post below:

Eyewitness shares terrifying aircraft experience

Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that a Nigerian lady who boarded the Air Peace flight that skidded off the runway at Port Harcourt Airport shared her experience.

In a trending post, the lady lamented that she came face to face with death and thought it would have been the end of her life.