Senate Suspends Security Summit After Ondo Air Crash

The Nigerian Senate has suspended indefinitely its planned National Security Summit scheduled for October 12 and 13, 2026, following the Nigerian Air Force aircraft crash in Igbokoda, Ondo State, which claimed the lives of 25 officers and seven crew members.

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Senate Leader and Chairman of the Senate Ad Hoc Committee on the National Security Summit, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, announced the postponement in a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday. He said the decision was also linked to the three-day national mourning declared by President Bola Tinubu in honour of the victims.

The Nigerian Air Force aircraft crashed in Igbokoda, headquarters of Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, on Monday. The Senate said the tragedy made it inappropriate to proceed with a major national security gathering during the mourning period.

The summit had been designed to bring together government officials, security agencies, experts and other stakeholders to deliberate on Nigeria’s security challenges and develop measures to strengthen the protection of lives and property.

According to the Senate, preparations for the summit had reached an advanced stage, with the ad hoc committee having conducted public hearings across the country’s geopolitical zones as part of the build-up to the event.

Bamidele said the Senate shared in the grief of the families of the deceased personnel and extended its condolences to President Tinubu, the Nigerian Armed Forces, the Nigerian Air Force and all those affected by the tragedy.

The Senate said a new date for the National Security Summit would be announced later, urging invited participants and stakeholders to bear with the lawmakers over the postponement.