A Nigerian military plane flying from Benin to Lagos crashed on Monday in the southwestern state of Ondo, killing 25 passengers and seven crew members.

A Nigerian military plane flying from Benin to Lagos crashed on Monday in the southwestern state of Ondo, killing 25 passengers and seven crew members.

The President of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, confirmed the news and expressed his condolences to the families of the victims.

Festus Kiamu, the country's Minister of Aviation, announced that the ITR-42 aircraft belonging to the Air Force was on a routine mission from Benin City to Lagos when the control tower lost contact with it at 07:13 local time on Monday.

This incident is one of the deadliest air accidents in recent years in Nigeria.

The wreckage of the plane was later found near the coastal town of Igbukuda and search and rescue teams were dispatched to the area.