It is not yet known how many people were on board.

Air traffic control is also trying to determine the origin of the aircraft according to a Lagos international airport official.

The plane went down along a busy east-west commercial West African flight path that is also used by multi-national oil companies to fly workers to and from facilities in Nigeria's oil delta.

No airline reported any planes missing.

Police called for divers to search the sea for survivors, but those plans collapsed because of lack of diving equipment.

Fishermen offered to help but later refused when they were told they would not be paid.

Private security supervisor Kelvin Ikpeme, said he saw a white, yellow and blue twin-engine plane "shaking" and wobbling in the sky shortly before the crash.

A Lagos state official, Leke Pitan, said time had run out to find survivors.

"We're no longer thinking about a rescue. Now we're thinking about a recovery operation," Pitan said.