Some human remains are yet to be recovered from the site of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) aircraft crash in Igbokoda, Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, as the state government plans to conduct air and water quality tests to determine the extent of possible environmental contamination.

The Ondo State Commissioner for Environment, Tob Loko, disclosed this in an interview, saying the government would conduct a spot assessment of the crash site today to determine the extent of possible contamination.

Loko said the assessment followed a directive by Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to him and the commissioner for health to expedite action on measures to address the environmental impact of the crash.

He said the failure to recover all the human remains, coupled with the possibility of aviation fuel and volatile organic compounds contaminating the surrounding environment, had heightened concerns about the safety of residents and their water sources.

“Up to now, we have not been able to recover a full body. All that we could get is body parts. And some of the body parts up to now have not been recovered,” he said.

The commissioner said the decomposition of the remains could attract microorganisms to the site, while aviation fuel and other compounds could have contaminated the surrounding water.

He said the planned tests would help the government determine the extent of the contamination before deciding on appropriate decontamination measures.

“That is why we are mobilising to the site for the spot assessment. We are going to assess the level of contamination that has taken place.

“And, as a matter of fact, we are going to undertake air quality tests and water quality tests so that we can determine with precision, and, of course, surgical precision, the level of contamination that has taken place,” he said.

Loko said the government would return to the area after the assessment to undertake decontamination measures aimed at protecting residents and restoring the affected water sources for normal use.

The development follows complaints by residents of Igbokoda about an offensive odour emanating from the crash site, with calls for the urgent recovery of the human remains and measures to protect the community’s water sources.

The Olu of Igbokoda, Oba Afolabi Odidiomo, had described the odour as unbearable, attributing it to human remains yet to be recovered from the river.

“The odour is extremely offensive. Some of the bodies have not been recovered. They have decomposed, and it is affecting everything,” the monarch said.

A resident, Damilola Omogbemi, also said the odour had spread across the community since the crash, affecting residents even inside their homes.

She appealed to the government to expedite the recovery and removal of the remains or take appropriate measures to contain the odour.

The NAF ATR-42 aircraft crashed into a swamp near the Nigerian Navy’s Forward Operating Base in Igbokoda on Monday, October 5, while on a mission from Benin City, Edo State, to Lagos.

All 25 people on board, comprising 20 passengers and five crew members, died in the incident, with the aircraft becoming submerged in the swamp.