The Nigerian Air Force has announced plans to hold a memorial service and wreath-laying ceremony for victims of its NAF 931 aircraft crash on November 26 at the National Military Cemetery, Abuja.

The ceremony will honour those killed in the October 5 crash at Igbokoda in Ondo, and provide an opportunity for their families, colleagues and friends to pay their last respects.

NAF’s spokesperson, Ehimen Ejodame, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday. According to the statement, the ceremony will allow families, colleagues, friends, and the wider NAF community to honour the deceased personnel and recognise their service and sacrifice.

The air force also confirmed it recovered the aircraft’s Cockpit Voice Recorder, along with other wreckage and relevant evidence from the crash site.

It said data retrieved from the recorder was being analysed and was expected to contribute significantly to the ongoing investigation into the circumstances surrounding the accident.

“The investigation is progressing steadily in collaboration with the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

“The NAF remains committed to ensuring that the investigation is conducted in accordance with the highest standards of professionalism, transparency, accountability and responsibility, while supporting the independent technical processes required to establish the circumstances surrounding the accident,” it said.

It added that recovery operations had yielded several human remains and aircraft fragments, and that the identification of the recovered remains was ongoing.

The statement noted that the recovery exercise had been particularly challenging because of the swampy terrain and the depth to which some parts of the wreckage had penetrated the ground.

NAF acknowledged the cooperation of relevant agencies, host communities and other stakeholders, assuring the public of its commitment to supporting bereaved families and ensuring a thorough investigation.

The NAF 931 aircraft crashed on October 5, while on a routine mission from Benin City, Edo, to Lagos. The wreckage was later located in a swampy area in Igbokoda, Ondo.

All 25 people on board the aircraft died.