Adeshina, Former Vice-principal Killed in NAF Plane Crash, Emerged Best Graduating Cadet in September

Isa Muyiwa Adeshina, one of the flying officers killed in the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) ATR-42 aircraft crash, had hoped to build a distinguished career in the military.

But his aspirations came to a tragic end in the early hours of Monday when the NAF 931 aircraft crashed in the Igbokoda area of Ondo state, killing all 25 people on board.

Just nine days earlier, Adeshina was commissioned as a flying officer after emerging as the best graduating cadet of Branch Commission Course (BC) 3.

According to military sources, he received the award from Tajudeen Abbas, speaker of the house of representatives, on September 26 at the passing-out parade of cadets at the headquarters of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), Kaduna.

The ceremony marked the formal commissioning of Adeshina and other cadets into the NAF as flying officers.

However, nine days later, the NAF 931 aircraft plunged into the swamps of Igbokoda, killing everyone on board and cutting short Adeshina’s long-held dream of building a career in the air force.

According to the NAF, he was the only flying officer in the crashed military plane.

Since the incident, friends and colleagues of the deceased have taken to social media to share memories and accounts of his final days.

Anas Ahmerd, a social media user, said Adeshina was on his way to visit his family in Lagos before reporting to his official posting after completing his training.

Adeshina had served in the NAF for more than a decade before his commissioning as a flying officer, but he wore the rank for only nine days.

While his exact age could not be immediately ascertained, military sources said Adeshina was enlisted into the NAF as a member of Basic Military Training Course (BMTC) 27 in August 2010.

He began his career as an air intelligence operator and rose through the ranks before he was promoted to sergeant in September 2025.

In recognition of his service and academic performance, he was subsequently selected for branch commissioning, a pathway through which serving personnel are commissioned as officers.

He proceeded to the NDA for training as a member of Branch Commission Course (BC) 3, where he distinguished himself as the best graduating cadet.

He was commissioned into the NAF as a flying officer in the air intelligence speciality on September 26.

FROM CLASSROOM TO MILITARY SERVICE

Beyond his career in the NAF, Adeshina was also an educationist and teacher remembered for his impact on the lives of his students.

Before joining the military, he worked as a teacher and later served as vice-principal at As-Siraat Comprehensive College, an Islamic college in the Amukoko area of Lagos.

Speaking to TheCable, Ustadh Ahmad, proprietor of the school, said Adeshina was initially employed as a physics teacher but rose through the ranks to become vice-principal because of his diligence and hard work.

“He was the vice-principal of the school then. He was such a very intelligent and diligent man,” he said.

Ahmad said Adeshina worked at the school between 2004 and 2010, teaching physics and mathematics before becoming vice-principal.

The proprietor said Adeshina’s decision to leave the school for the air force programme was difficult for many parents who wanted him to remain.

“He was so loved by the parents to the extent that when he wanted to leave the school for the Air Force programme, many parents pleaded that we should do everything to retain him,” he said.

“He was such a lovely guy. He is such an intelligent guy, very brilliant. So, I was not surprised to see him having promotions and all in the military. It’s so unfortunate.”

Ahmad said Adeshina hailed from Iwo in Osun state, adding that although his family was based in Lagos, some of them had relocated to their hometown.

“He still has a mother,” Ahmad added.

‘HE WAS ONE OF THE FOUNDATIONS THAT BUILT US’

Mourning his death in a Facebook post on Tuesday, Lawal Kaothar, one of Adeshina’s former students, described him as a key pillar of the school.

“Ya Rabbi, your slave Isa Muyiwa Adeshina has returned to you. Forgive his shortcomings, grant him your mercy and make him an inmate of Jannah. He was one of the foundations that built us in As-siraat Comprehensive College,” he wrote.

Ibrahim Damilola, another former student taught by Adeshina at the school, described his life as “deeply inspiring”.

“Some people leave this world, but their words and lessons continue to live in the lives they touched,” he wrote.

“Mallam Isa Adeshina, one of my Junior Secondary School teachers, was among the Air Force personnel who tragically lost their lives in the plane crash.”

Damilola said he still remembered how Adeshina shared his personal story with his students about the importance of observing their Salat.

“His story deeply inspired me, and from my Junior Secondary School days, it encouraged me to remain consistent with my own Salat. I will always be grateful for that lesson,” he wrote.

He prayed that God would forgive Adeshina’s shortcomings and grant him eternal rest.