Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has ordered the fumigation of the Igbokoda River to prevent a possible disease outbreak.

The order followed complaints from residents about a strong stench from the waterway, with reports indicating the stench comes from the shattered dead bodies of the NAF members who lost their lives in the crash.

In a statement on Wednesday, Information Commissioner Idowu Ajanaku said the governor had directed the ministries of environment and health to begin extensive fumigation.

The river is a major source of livelihood for Igbokoda and neighbouring communities. Reports also say nose masks and health kits are to be distributed to residents living near the site.

Aiyedatiwa also directed the Ilaje Local Government Area to arrange water tankers for the continuous supply of drinking water if assessments show the river is severely polluted and unsafe.

The Olu of Igbokoda, Oba Afolabi Odidiomo, had earlier called for the urgent removal of human remains from the crash site over the odour spreading across the community. He urged the federal and state governments to speed up recovery efforts and address possible contamination.

The governor reaffirmed the state’s support for the NAF’s recovery operations. The state has deployed amphibious swamp machines to help the Navy, Air Force, emergency agencies and local divers reach the swampy site.

The NAF ATR-42 aircraft, NAF 931, crashed near the naval base in Igbokoda while on a routine mission from Benin to Lagos. All 25 people on board, five crew members and 20 passengers, died.

President Bola Tinubu declared three days of national mourning and ordered an investigation. The NAF has since set up a 12-member board of inquiry to determine the cause of the crash.

Air Vice Marshal FO Ankeli heads the board, and recovery efforts led by the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, are continuing.