On September 17, 2006, a Nigerian Air Force Dornier 228 transport aircraft crashed and killed 15 out of 18 people on board at Oko village in Vandeikya Local Government Area of Benue State.
It was learned that the 18-seater Dornier 228-212 aircraft, with registration number NAF030, was conveying senior army officers to the Obudu Cattle Ranch in Cross River State for a retreat when it crashed at about 10:30 a.m.
The aircraft, which departed from Abuja International Airport en route to Babi Airstrip near Obudu, crashed into a hillside approximately 18 nautical miles from the ranch.
According to military sources, the flight was carrying 15 senior army officers and three crew members who were members of a presidential committee set up by President Olusegun Obasanjo to reposition the army.
Sources at the Defence Headquarters confirmed that those who perished include eight Major-Generals: A.N. Bamali, J.O. Adesunloye, J.O. Agboola, P.M. Haruna, J.T.U. Ahmedu, S.O. Otubu, B. Duniya and S.M. Lemu; two Brigadier-Generals Y.J. Braimah and M.B. Bawa; one Lieutenant-Colonel N.A. Mohammed and two Wing Commanders E.O. Adekunle and O. Balogun.
Three officers survived the crash with serious injuries. They were identified as Colonels O.C. Ajunwa, N.I. Angbazo and A.L. Dusu.
President Olusegun Obasanjo, who was in Singapore attending the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank at the time of the crash, was said to have cut short his trip and returned home. He declared a three-day national mourning.
The Chief of Air Staff ordered an investigative team to visit the site of the crash to ascertain the cause of the mishap.
