The Senate has postponed its planned National Security Summit indefinitely following the death of 25 Nigerian Air Force personnel and seven crew members in Monday’s aircraft crash in Ondo State.
The two-day summit, scheduled for October 12 and 13, was convened to examine Nigeria’s persistent security challenges and develop practical measures to protect lives and property across the country.
The Senate Leader and Chairman of the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on the National Security Summit, Opeyemi Bamidele, announced the postponement in a statement on Tuesday.
He said the decision was taken in honour of the victims of the Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 crash at Igbokoda, headquarters of Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State.
The ad-hoc committee had completed preparations for the summit after conducting zonal public hearings before the crash forced the Senate to defer the event.
President Bola Tinubu had declared three days of national mourning over the tragedy and directed that national flags be flown at half-mast across the country.
The Senate said the summit would now hold at a later date, which would be communicated to stakeholders.
The upper chamber expressed condolences to Tinubu, the Armed Forces, particularly the Nigerian Air Force, and the families of the personnel who died in the crash.
It urged stakeholders invited to the summit to bear with the Senate during the period of national mourning.
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