TWENTY years after Damilola Adekunle, a Flight Lieutenant, lost her father in a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) plane crash, tragedy struck her family again as her newlywed husband, Ahamefule Aham Man-Ugwueje, a Squadron Leader, died in another NAF aircraft crash, barely two weeks after their wedding.
According to Premuimtimes, Damilola’s father, E.O. Adekunle, a Wing Commander, was among 13 military officers killed when a NAF Dornier 228 aircraft crashed in Vandeikya, Benue State, on 17 September 2006.
On 17 September 2006, a NAF Dornier 228 aircraft carrying senior military officers to a retreat from Abuja to Obudu in Cross River State crashed in Vandeikya, Benue State.
Wing Commander Adekunle was one of the two crew members aboard the ill-fated aircraft that crashed claiming the lives of 13 military officers, 10 army generals, a lieutenant-colonel and two wing commanders.
His daughter, Damilola followed her father’s career path by joining the Nigerian Air Force years later and rising to the rank of flight lieutenant.
On 19 September 2026, she married Man-Ugwueje, a fellow NAF officer, in Abuja, only 16 days before tragedy struck.
The ICIR reported that Man-Ugwueje was among 25 people killed on Monday when NAF 931, an ATR-42 aircraft, crashed in the Igbokoda area of Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State on October 5, 2026.
The Nigerian Air Force subsequently confirmed that 25 people were aboard the aircraft – five crew members and 20 passengers.
The crash has renewed attention on the safety of Nigeria’s military aviation operations and the financial implications of losing aircraft that are often worth millions of dollars.
There were no survivors, and Man-Ugwueje was identified as one of the two co-pilots aboard the aircraft.
The NAF has ordered a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash.
Man-Ugwueje was a son of a retired group captain of the NAF.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.