Senate delays security summit to remember plane crash victims

The Senate has postponed its national security summit that was set for 12 and 13 October. This decision was made to honour the officers and crew members who lost their lives in the Nigerian Air Force aircraft crash in Ondo State.

Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele shared the news of the postponement in a statement on Tuesday.

Mr Bamidele, who heads the Senate Ad hoc Committee on the National Security Summit, mentioned that this decision was needed to pay respect to the crash victims.

He added that a new date for the summit would be announced to stakeholders later.

On 29 September, the Senate had said it would hold a two-day summit to strengthen Nigeria's security framework.

A Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 aircraft went down in the Igbokoda area of Ondo State on Monday.

The NAF reported on Tuesday that 20 passengers and five crew members lost their lives in the crash.

This number is different from the initial figure of 32, which government officials mentioned were on board the aircraft on Monday.

Following the tragedy, President Bola Tinubu declared three days of national mourning for the deceased personnel. He also ordered that national flags be flown at half-mast across the country.

The Senate planned the security summit to discuss Nigeria's ongoing security problems and to come up with practical solutions to protect lives and property nationwide.

Nigeria is dealing with several security issues. These include terrorism and insurgency in the North-east, banditry and kidnapping in the North-west and North-central, as well as communal conflicts and violent crimes in various regions.

The National Assembly is very worried about the security situation. Lawmakers often urge the executive to strengthen security agencies, improve intelligence gathering, and tackle the causes of insecurity.

The Senate said it will inform stakeholders about the new date for the security summit in the future.