Abia State Governor Alex Otti has expressed grief over the death of Squadron Leader Ahamefule Aham Man-Ugwueje, an Abia-born pilot who was among the 25 people killed in the Nigerian Air Force aircraft crash in Igbokoda, Ondo State.

The Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 aircraft, with registration NAF 931, crashed in Igbokoda on Monday while reportedly on a routine mission from Benin to Lagos.

In a statement issued on Tuesday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ferdinand Ekeoma, Otti described the incident as a devastating loss to the victims’ families, the Nigerian Air Force and the country.

“This accident is both painful and devastating, because it has brought untold sorrow and anguish to the victims’ families, their friends and loved ones, the Nigerian Air Force, and the nation at large,” the governor said.

Otti expressed particular concern over the death of Man-Ugwueje, who hailed from Umuahia, Abia State, noting that the pilot had only recently married Flight Lieutenant Damilola Adekunle in Abuja.

Man-Ugwueje and Adekunle got married on September 19, about two weeks before the air crash.

The governor described the circumstances surrounding the pilot’s death as especially painful, given how shortly after his wedding the tragedy occurred.

“Governor Otti regretted that Squadron Leader Man-Ugwueje perished in the air disaster just about two weeks after he wedded his beloved wife, Flight Lieutenant Damilola Adekunle, in Abuja, a sad development that has robbed the couple of the beautiful opportunity of spending their lives together as husband and wife,” the statement said.

The governor extended his condolences to the families of all the victims and sympathised with the people of Umuahia, the Nigerian Air Force and the Federal Government over the tragedy.

He said the Abia State Government shared in the grief of the bereaved families and prayed for the peaceful repose of the souls of those who lost their lives in the crash.

Man-Ugwueje was one of the pilots aboard the NAF 931 aircraft and had married Adekunle in an elaborate ceremony in Abuja on September 19.