For Flight Lieutenant Damilola Adekunle, the Nigerian Air Force aircraft crash in Igbokoda, Ondo, has brought a devastating twist to a family tragedy that began two decades ago.
Barely 16 days after her wedding, Damilola lost her husband, Squadron Leader Ahamefule Aham Man-Ugwueje, who was serving as co-pilot of the Nigerian Air Force aircraft that crashed at Igbokoda on October 5, killing personnel on board.
The tragedy has reopened a painful chapter in the Adekunle family, as Damilola is reportedly the daughter of the late Wing Commander O. E. Adekunle, who died in a Nigerian Air Force aircraft crash in Benue State in 2006.
In a tragic coincidence, the daughter of an Air Force officer who lost his life in an aircraft accident has now lost her husband, also an Air Force pilot, in a similar tragedy 20 years later.
On September 17, 2006, Wing Commander Adekunle, who was serving as co-pilot, was among 13 senior military officers killed when a Nigerian Air Force Dornier 228 aircraft crashed in the Oko area of Vandeikya Local Government Area of Benue State.
The aircraft was reportedly conveying senior military officers towards Cross River State when it crashed, leaving their families to cope with the loss.
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👉 JOIN GISTSMATE WHATSAPP CHANNELTwo decades later, another aircraft tragedy has claimed the life of Damilola’s husband.
According to reports, Damilola married Squadron Leader Man-Ugwueje on September 19, 2026, beginning what was expected to be a new chapter for the couple.
Man-Ugwueje, who also came from an Air Force family and was the son of retired Group Captain Man-Ugwueje, was building his own career in the service.
However, just 16 days after their wedding, Damilola was confronted with the loss of her husband in an aircraft crash, echoing the circumstances surrounding the death of her father when she was much younger.
The two tragedies have consequently created a painful link between two generations of the family: her father died on military duty in 2006, while her husband died while serving in the same profession in 2026.
Another personal story has also emerged from the Igbokoda crash involving Squadron Leader Mamud I. Aburimen.
Aburimen was reportedly pursuing a master’s degree in Mass Communication at the University of Benin (UNIBEN) before his death.
The postgraduate student had reportedly been at the university on Friday for a make-up test, only days before the aircraft crashed while reportedly travelling from Benin to Lagos.
His death has left classmates and lecturers mourning an officer they described as disciplined, quiet and committed to his studies despite the demands of military service.
His class representative, Desmond Odiah, said Aburimen and some of his classmates had completed their postgraduate diploma together before proceeding to the master’s programme.
Odiah said the officer remained in contact with him over academic matters and made efforts to attend lectures whenever his military duties permitted.
He recalled that Aburimen usually sat at the back of the classroom, often wearing his cap, and avoided trouble, describing him as “a perfect gentleman”.
According to Odiah, their last conversation centred on the make-up test, with Aburimen informing him that he was already at the university for the examination.
For Flight Lieutenant M. Akintoye, another victim, his final hours reportedly included a visit to his mother, Professor Emily Akintoye, a staff member of Benson Idahosa University, Benin.
Akintoye reportedly stopped over in Benin on Tuesday, which was his mother’s birthday, before the aircraft continued its journey.
A family source said the officer returned home in an Air Force vehicle to celebrate his mother and tell her that the personnel were proceeding to Lagos.
“On Tuesday, being the birthday of his mother, he rushed to the house to wish her a happy birthday and inform her that they were on their way to Lagos. A few hours after, the news of the disaster came,” the source said.
The birthday celebration subsequently turned into mourning for the family.
The reported recent marriage of another victim, co-pilot Flight Lieutenant I. S. Bako, has further added to the grief among the bereaved families and colleagues.
At the Air Force military base and Air Force Military Hospital, flags were reportedly flown at half-mast as officers and relatives mourned the deceased personnel.
Beyond their ranks and uniforms, the victims were husbands, sons, fathers, newlyweds, students, colleagues and friends, with families and loved ones waiting for their return.
For the Adekunle family, however, the Igbokoda crash has reopened an old wound.
A military aircraft took away Damilola’s father in 2006. Twenty years later, another military aircraft claimed the life of her husband.
The two tragedies, separated by two decades, have left behind a deeply painful family connection between a father lost in service and a husband lost in the same line of duty.
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