NAF Crash: Senate Postpones National Security Summit Indefinitely

The Senate has postponed its National Security Summit indefinitely following the death of 32 Nigerian Air Force personnel in the crash of an ATR-42 aircraft in Ondo State.

The two-day summit was scheduled to hold on October 12 and 13, 2026, to deliberate on Nigeria’s security challenges and develop practical measures to strengthen the protection of lives and property.

The Leader of the Senate and Chairman of the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on the National Security Summit, Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, announced the postponement in a statement on Tuesday.

The decision followed Monday’s crash of the Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 aircraft in Igbokoda, headquarters of Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State.

According to the Senate, 25 officers and seven crew members were killed in the crash.

The postponement also came after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu declared three days of national mourning for the fallen military personnel and directed that national flags be flown at half-mast across the country.

Bamidele said the Senate considered it appropriate to defer the summit in honour of the victims and in solidarity with their families and the Nigerian Armed Forces.

He said the ad-hoc committee had already concluded preparations for the summit after completing zonal public hearings before the aircraft crash necessitated the postponement.

The Senate expressed condolences to President Tinubu, the Nigerian Armed Forces, particularly the Nigerian Air Force, and the families of the officers and crew members who died in the incident.

The upper chamber also urged all stakeholders who had been preparing for the summit to take note of the postponement and bear with the Senate during the period of national mourning.

A new date for the National Security Summit, the Senate said, would be communicated in due course.