The Olugbo of Ugboland, Oba Fredrick Akinruntan, has asked the Federal Government to speed up the cleanup of Ilaje communities polluted by the Nigerian Air Force plane crash in Igbokoda, headquarters of Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State.
The appeal was contained in a statement issued on Friday by the monarch’s media aide, Sesan Forolagba.
The NAF aircraft crashed in Igbokoda on October 5, 2026, killing all 25 people on board.
While military efforts to recover the wreckage are still ongoing, residents have complained about the offensive odour coming from the crash site, and fishermen said their business has been badly affected by the pollution of the water.
Oba Akinruntan, who led other monarchs and the Olugbo-in-Council to the Nigerian Navy Forward Operating Base in Igbokoda, appealed to President Bola Tinubu and the Minister of Environment for urgent intervention.
According to the monarch, the aftermath of the crash has badly damaged local water bodies, disrupting drinking sources and fishing activities, while dangerous air pollution continues to trouble the area.
“We are making this passionate appeal on behalf of the good people of Ugboland to our dear President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and the Minister for Environment.
“We urgently need the Federal Government’s immediate attention and assistance to clean up our environment. The water we drink and use for fishing has been tainted while the air pollution is worsening by the day. We need your rescue now,” he appealed.
The statement said the monarch praised the gallantry and sacrifice of the armed forces but stressed that quick federal environmental remediation was critically needed to protect public health and restore livelihoods in the coastal communities.
However, the state Commissioner for Information, Mr Idowu Ajanaku, said efforts are ongoing to clean up the environment and restore normalcy to the affected communities.
Ajanaku said, “The efforts are ongoing, the fumigation is going on, we have begun and it would be completed.”
