Furdaus Obiremi
The traditional ruler of Igbokoda in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, Afolabi Odidiomo, has raised the alarm over alleged contamination of the community’s source of drinking water following the crash of a Nigerian Air Force aircraft that killed 25 people.
Odidiomo warned that decaying human remains and possible oil spills from the crashed aircraft could expose residents to serious health risks if urgent measures were not taken to assess and address the suspected pollution.
The monarch called on the Federal Government and the Ondo State Government to urgently clean up the affected waterway, provide alternative sources of potable water and restore the community’s damaged environment.
The military aircraft reportedly crashed into a swamp in the Igbokoda area on Monday, October 5, 2026, killing all 25 people on board.
More than a week after the incident, efforts by rescue teams to recover the wreckage and the remains of the victims have reportedly yielded limited results because of the difficult terrain.
The ongoing operation, involving the Nigerian Air Force, Nigerian Navy, police, community members and the state government, has so far recovered some human remains and fragments of the aircraft, while the main wreckage remains missing.
However, the incident has triggered fresh concerns among residents, with the community’s traditional ruler warning that the tragedy could pose an additional threat to public health and livelihoods.
Speaking at his palace, Odidiomo said the waterway where the aircraft crashed was the same source from which water was pumped to a treatment facility at Aboto, about seven kilometres away, before being supplied for domestic use.
He expressed concern that the suspected contamination could affect residents who depend on the water for drinking and other household activities.
“The concern of everybody in this community today is that our government spent time, energy, money and effort looking for people that had been chopped into pieces by the crash.
“The pieces that are floating everywhere in our rivers have decayed and left so much stench that is unbelievable,” the monarch said.
He added that the situation had made the river, which children ordinarily used for swimming, frightening and potentially unsafe.
“Going close to the river is so scary now for children who usually go to swim when they return from school, because they see human flesh everywhere as they swim. Fish are also dying everywhere,” he said.
The monarch said the community was particularly worried because the affected waterway served as a major source of water for domestic use.
“This same river where the plane crashed into is what supplies our drinking water. We have a water treatment machine at Aboto, about seven kilometres away from here.
“The water doesn’t come every day, and when it comes, it is this same water that flows there, pumped to be treated for our drinking.
“So, it means whatever happens, pollution is already in the river, either as a result of decayed bodies or as oil that dropped into the river, and any other pollution that went into the water,” he said.
Odidiomo urged the authorities to take immediate steps to prevent a possible public health emergency, insisting that the search for the victims should be accompanied by measures to protect residents from environmental hazards.
He argued that the government could have taken steps to contain the affected area and prevent suspected pollutants from spreading into the wider waterway.
“We are asking the government for clean-up. We are asking the government for remediation, a kind of restoration of the environment,” he said.
The traditional ruler also called for the provision of alternative sources of safe drinking water while the authorities investigate the extent of the suspected contamination and determine the appropriate remedial measures.
Beyond the water pollution concerns, Odidiomo said the crash had damaged economic trees and affected fish, which residents depend on for their livelihoods.
He called for environmental restoration and other interventions to address the impact of the disaster on the community.
A resident of Igbokoda, Benjamin Omoyele, also expressed concern over the possible health implications of the suspected water contamination.
Omoyele, a 100-level Civil Engineering student at the Federal University of Technology, Akure, said the human remains reportedly left in the water had heightened fears among residents who depend on the river.
He urged the government to investigate the situation and take urgent steps to protect the community.
However, another resident, Odunsola Dada, popularly known as General, expressed optimism that the flowing waterway would gradually clear itself.
Dada argued that the river’s depth and continuous flow towards the ocean could help disperse the materials from the crash site over time.
“We are all humans, and what happened is a tragedy. We will all also die at our time. The water is deep and flowing steadily. It is not a well or a pool.
“In a short while, everything will flow into the sea and people will be able to use it as before,” he said.
Despite his optimism, the concerns raised by the monarch and other residents have placed renewed attention on the need to determine whether the waterway has been contaminated and what measures may be required to make it safe.
Meanwhile, excavation work is continuing at the crash site, with additional machinery reportedly deployed to assist in recovering the remaining parts of the aircraft.
The search operation has also shifted attention to locating the aircraft’s black box, following a directive by the Chief of the Air Staff, Sunday Aneke, during his visit to the site last week.
The black box is expected to provide information that could help investigators establish the circumstances surrounding the crash.
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