The Nigerian Senate has postponed its planned National Security Summit following the fatal crash of a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) ATR-42 aircraft in Igbokoda, Ondo State.
The two-day summit, initially scheduled for October 12 and 13, 2026, has been deferred indefinitely as the country mourns the military personnel who died in the crash. Senate Leader and Chairman of the Senate Ad Hoc Committee on the National Security Summit, Opeyemi Bamidele, announced the decision in a statement issued in Abuja.
The Senate said the postponement was made in honour of the victims and in line with the three-day national mourning declared by President Bola Tinubu. The President also directed that national flags be flown at half-mast across the country.
Reports from government and media sources initially differed on the number of people aboard the aircraft. The Senate referred to 25 officers and seven crew members, while the Nigerian Air Force later reported that 20 passengers and five crew members were killed.
Bamidele said the Senate had resolved to defer the summit “till further notice” in honour of those killed in the tragedy. He also appealed to stakeholders who had prepared to participate in the meeting to bear with the legislature during the mourning period.
The National Security Summit had been convened to examine Nigeria’s persistent security challenges and develop practical recommendations for strengthening the country’s security architecture and protecting lives and property. Preparations had already included zonal public hearings ahead of the national gathering.
The postponement is significant because insecurity remains a major national concern, with terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, communal violence and other threats continuing to affect different parts of Nigeria.
Meanwhile, President Tinubu has ordered a thorough investigation into the cause of the NAF crash. The Senate said a new date for the security summit would be communicated to stakeholders in due course.
