Site of first Nigerian plane-crash to become tourist centre

The first Nigerian plane crash occurred in Ekiti.

The location of the first plane crash recorded in 1942, in Ikogosi, Ekiti West Local Government Area of Ekiti State, is to be converted to a tourist centre.

The Special Adviser to the State Governor on Tourism Development, Segun Ologunleko, who inspected the crash site on Wednesday in Ikogosi-Ekiti, said the decision was made to turn the state into an attractive tourism destination in West Africa.

Ikogosi town is also famous for being the home to Ikogosi spring, where warm and cold water co-exist together on the same spot.

He said government’s determination to make the state a place where people could visit and see the relics of the airplane would complement the appeal of the warm spring in the area.

Speaking on the crashed plane, one of the elders of the community, who claimed to have witnessed the crash, Olu Adeniyi, recalled that the plane crashed on April 12, 1942 at about 8.15 p.m.

He said it was a war plane that contained arms and ammunition, including explosives that went off with loud bang throughout the night.

Visible at the site were the relics of the two engines of the plane and other aluminum and metal materials.

NAN