Senate Delays Security Summit After NAF Aircraft Tragedy

The Senate has postponed its planned two-day National Security Summit due to the tragic crash of a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) ATR-42 aircraft in Igbokoda, Ondo State, which resulted in the deaths of 25 officers and seven crew members. The summit was originally scheduled for October 12 and 13, 2026, to address Nigeria's security challenges.

Senate Leader and Chairman of the Senate Ad hoc Committee on the National Security Summit, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, announced the postponement in a statement on October 6, 2026, following President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's declaration of three days of national mourning for the deceased military personnel. The Senate had completed zonal public hearings in preparation for the summit, but the tragedy necessitated the suspension of the event.

Bamidele expressed condolences to the President, the Nigerian Armed Forces, and the families of the victims, stating that the Senate mourns those who "paid the supreme price in active service to the fatherland.".