The Senate has postponed its two-day National Security Summit earlier scheduled for October 12 and 13, 2026, following the death of 25 officers and seven crew members in a Nigerian Air Force aircraft crash in Ondo State.
The Senate Leader and Chairman of the Senate Ad Hoc Committee on the National Security Summit, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, announced the postponement in a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday.
Bamidele said the decision was taken in honour of the victims and in line with the three-day national mourning declared by President Bola Tinubu.
He said the summit, which was scheduled to hold on Monday, October 12, and Tuesday, October 13, had been postponed until further notice following the crash of a Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 aircraft in Igbokoda, headquarters of Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State.
The Senate had planned the summit to bring together key stakeholders to examine Nigeria’s security challenges and develop practical measures to strengthen the protection of lives and property.
The ad hoc committee had also completed preparations for the event after concluding zonal public hearings ahead of the national summit.
However, the crash, which occurred on Monday, prompted the Senate to suspend the planned meeting and join the nation in mourning the deceased military personnel.
Following the incident, President Tinubu declared three days of national mourning and directed that national flags be flown at half-mast across the country. He also ordered a thorough investigation into the cause of the crash.
Bamidele said the Senate considered it appropriate to defer the summit during the mourning period as a mark of respect for the military personnel who died in active service.
The Senate Leader extended condolences to President Tinubu, the Nigerian Armed Forces, particularly the Nigerian Air Force, and the families of the deceased officers and crew members.
He said a new date for the summit would be announced later and appealed to participants and stakeholders expected at the event to bear with the Senate during the period of national mourning.