20 years later, the lives lost in the 2005 Sosoliso plane crash are still being grieved.
Twenty years ago today, 108 lives were tragically lost when a Sosoliso plane travelling from Abuja to Port Harcourt crashed. Among the victims were many students aged 12 to 16 from Loyola Jesuit College, returning home for the Christmas holidays. While many Nigerian families are now planning festive holiday activities, countless others will be marking this solemn 20th anniversary, a painful reminder that time does not heal all wounds.
My cousin, Miss Ibra Ellah, was one of the precious souls lost in the crash. A joy and pure delight, she uplifted our family and made my sisters and I more playful by teaching us to embrace laughter and enjoyment. As is typical of Loyola Jesuit College students, she was uniquely intelligent, with many people looking forward to her bright future. On the day she did not return home from school, the lives of those of us who knew and loved her were changed forever.
In our family, Christmas was our favourite time of year. We spent time with our large family singing carols and eating delicious meals. Since 2005, Christmas has become a quiet affair for us; our memories constantly pulled into the shock and sadness that came into our lives that day. We’ve simply learned to carry on while honouring our memories of her within us.
This is what happened on 10 December 2005
The Sosoliso Airlines Flight 1145, carrying 110 passengers, left Abuja for the Port Harcourt Domestic Airport at 1:25 pm. According to a report by the Accident Investigation Bureau, the flight journeyed at an even pace until it was time to land. During its runway descent, the tail of the aircraft suffered an impaction against the concrete drainage culvert. Exacerbated by the light showers of the day, the aircraft caught fire and disintegrated. The devastating wreckage covered a 12 km distance. At first, the radio reported 7 survivors, and this unfortunately dwindled to 2.
The Sosoliso aircraft, manufactured in 1973 and registered in Nigeria in June 2003, was a decades-old McDonnell Douglas model. Records from December 2005 show the aircraft had logged over 51,000 flight hours and 60,000 cycles, indicating extensive use throughout its service life.
At the time of the crash, the public conversation was already focused on Nigeria’s aviation safety record, especially following the tragic Belleview Airlines crash two months earlier in October 2005, which claimed 117 lives. This sequence of events, alongside recurring questions about the lifespan and maintenance of certain aircraft operating in the country, intensified public anxiety about air travel safety versus the known risks of road travel.
Trauma, safety, and the demand for accountability
I vividly remember the agonising period my family spent trying to locate my cousin, desperately seeking information and a way to reach her amid the chaos. I cannot begin to imagine the horror of waiting for a child at the airport, witnessing destruction, and then having to navigate the immediate aftermath — including interfacing with emergency response teams and the Nigerian healthcare system. It became painfully clear that so many families were forced to endure the nightmare of living within a country where crucial public systems are under severe stress.
Because Nigeria has experienced multiple aviation tragedies, including the devastating 2005 Sosoliso plane crash and the Belleview crash just two months prior, there is a clear and persistent public demand for a closer inspection of aircraft regulations and maintenance standards. The operational life and maintenance of certain aircraft operating in the country have been a subject of recurring public debate and scrutiny, as detailed by industry reports on Nigeria’s aircraft age policy and safety discussions.
This concern is amplified by global headlines surrounding the Boeing 737 family, given that these aircraft are the mainstay of many regional and international routes used by average Nigerian travellers. The global events concerning these aircraft models reinforce the critical need for robust local regulatory oversight.
This makes it painfully clear that Nigerians deserve safer skies and stronger accountability from every institution responsible for aviation oversight. We cannot continue to accept a system where tragedies spark outrage but fail to translate into lasting, systemic reform. Our future — and the lives of our loved ones — rely on the unequivocal prioritisation of safety and stringent oversight over profit and neglect.
How a community moves forward after tragedy
Many years have gone by since this devastating incident, and many families still strive to keep moving forward. For us, this looks like holding space for our memories — pictures placed in our homes to honour a time we can no longer reach. The shock of December 10, 2005, never truly left; it remains a vivid reality we cannot fix.
In the two decades since, communities have continued the difficult work of rebuilding their lives while acknowledging the lasting impact of loss. Moving forward has often meant ensuring that the events of that day are never forgotten, serving as a reminder of how swiftly ordinary life can be disrupted forever.
For our nation, the tragedy has become a necessary reference point in ongoing conversations about safety, accountability, and infrastructure. While time has passed, the need for sustained attention to these issues remains clear.
As we mark twenty years since the Sosoliso plane tragedy, we do so with a clear understanding that remembrance must coexist with responsibility. Honouring the lives lost means acknowledging the failures that allowed this disaster to occur and recognising the work still required to ensure such a day is never repeated.
The families, survivors, and communities affected have carried this weight for two decades; the least our institutions can do is meet that burden with consistent reform, transparent oversight, and a commitment to protecting every life that boards an aircraft in Nigeria. The memory of December 10, 2005, must remain not only a symbol of collective grief but a continual call to action.
