More than a week after a Nigerian Air Force, NAF, aircraft crashed in Igbokoda, Ondo State, residents of the riverine community say they are battling offensive odour, polluted water and fear of disease outbreak.
The NAF ATR-42 aircraft, which was on a routine operation from Benin City to Lagos, crashed into a swamp near the Air Force Forward Operating Base in Igbokoda on October 5, killing all 25 persons on board, comprising five crew members and 20 passengers.
The aircraft submerged into the swamp, prompting a joint search and recovery operation by the Air Force, other security agencies and emergency responders. More than a week after, locals say the operation is yet to be fully concluded.
Residents have now appealed to the Federal Government, Ondo State Government and the Nigerian Air Force to urgently evacuate human remains, clean up the environment and provide safe drinking water.
Body parts still floating – Monarch
The Olu of Igbokoda, Oba Afolabi Odidiomo, said the stench from the crash site has spread to residential areas, making life unbearable.
He said body parts were still seen floating on the river, while traces of fuel could be observed some distance from the wreckage.
“The odour is extremely offensive and unbearable. So many parts of human bodies are floating around in the river. Some of the bodies have not been recovered, they have decomposed and it is affecting everything,” the monarch said.
According to him, the development has raised serious concerns over contamination of the river, which serves as a major source of water for domestic use.
“People are worried about cooking, bathing and other domestic uses. We are appealing to government to urgently remove the remaining bodies and debris, contain any fuel spillage and carry out full environmental remediation,” Oba Odidiomo said.
He called for immediate provision of potable water pending the conclusion of recovery and clean-up operations.
Residents decry health risk
Residents living near the river described the experience as distressing.
Omogbemi Damola, a resident, said she has been perceiving the foul odour in her upstairs apartment for days.
“What happened in Igbokoda is a very sad experience. Since the accident occurred, different kinds of unpleasant odours have been carried by the breeze into our homes. I live upstairs and I have been perceiving the smell for at least four days now,” she said.
She appealed to the state government to expedite action on recovery and odour control.
Another resident, Oroyo Levy, said the situation has gone beyond discomfort to a public health concern.
“We are appealing to government to act swiftly to contain the odour and prevent it from posing further health risks. The smell suggests air pollution and we are worried about its effect, especially on children,” Levy said.
He said uncertainty over water safety has heightened anxiety among residents who depend on the river, urging the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, and relevant environmental agencies to intervene to prevent outbreak of waterborne diseases.
Government reacts
Reacting, the State Commissioner for Environment, Tob Loko, said the state government was collaborating with the Federal Government to ensure maximum recovery.
“The state government is collaborating with the Federal Government to ensure that we carry out as much recovery as possible. But you know that despite the number of days the recovery effort has been ongoing, no meaningful recovery has been made. None of the corpses has been recovered,” he said.
Loko said government was conducting a holistic assessment of the environmental and public health impact to guide decontamination efforts.
“There is a case of pollution. But we are not resting on our laurels. We are carefully undertaking holistic assessments of the environmental impact and the public health impact of what has happened there to ensure that we address it as quickly as possible,” he said.
On claims of drinking water pollution, the commissioner said the assertion was not entirely correct, noting that the community has boreholes and the crash site is about 500 metres away from the bulk of the metropolis.
“That is not the water they drink. There are boreholes around. We are not ruling out the fact that there may be cases of pollution. But to say that the people do not have water to drink as a result of the crash is not a sustainable argument,” Loko added.