The Senate has postponed until further notice its two-day National Security Summit earlier scheduled for October 12 and 13, 2026, in honour of the victims of the Nigerian Air Force aircraft crash in Igbokoda, Ondo State.
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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 on Tuesday, saying the decision followed the national mourning declared after the fatal crash of the NAF ATR-42 aircraft.
Bamidele said preparations for the high-level summit had already been concluded following zonal public hearings across the country, but the tragedy made it necessary for the upper chamber to defer the gathering.
The summit had been convened to bring together relevant stakeholders to examine Nigeria’s persistent security challenges and develop practical measures for improving the protection of lives and property.
According to Bamidele, the Senate considered it appropriate to suspend the meeting in solidarity with the Nigerian Armed Forces and the families of those who died in the crash.
“With the declaration of national mourning, the Senate resolved that the national security summit should be deferred till further notice in honour of the victims of the crash,” he said.
President Bola Tinubu had declared three days of national mourning following the accident and directed that national flags be flown at half-mast across the country.
The Senate extended its condolences to the President, the Nigerian Armed Forces, particularly the Nigerian Air Force, and the families of those who lost their lives while in service to the country.
It described the victims as personnel who paid the supreme price in active service and said the National Assembly stood with their families during the period of grief.
The upper chamber also appealed to stakeholders who had been scheduled to participate in the security summit to bear with it, assuring them that a new date would be communicated in due course.
The ATR-42 aircraft crashed on Monday while on a routine flight from Benin City to Lagos.
Initial information released shortly after the accident had indicated that 32 people were aboard the aircraft. However, the Nigerian Air Force subsequently revised the figure, confirming on Tuesday that 25 people 20 passengers and five crew members were on board and that there were no survivors. The Air Force also released the names of the victims.
The clarification is relevant because some early reports of the Senate’s statement continued to refer to 32 fatalities, reflecting the preliminary figure released before the Air Force confirmed the final manifest.
The Nigerian Air Force has ordered an investigation into the cause of the crash, while President Tinubu has also directed the Service to conduct a thorough inquiry aimed at establishing what happened and preventing a recurrence.
The Senate said the National Security Summit would be rescheduled after the period of mourning, with a new date to be announced to participants and the public.
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