In this image taken from National Transportation Safety Board video, Michael Graham of the NTSB investigates a fatal helicopter crash in Southern California's Mojave Desert on Saturday, February 10, 2024, in California. Speaking to the media in Barstow, state. The CEO of Nigeria's largest bank, his wife and his son were also among those killed in Friday's financial crisis.
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In this image taken from National Transportation Safety Board video, Michael Graham of the NTSB investigates a fatal helicopter crash in Southern California's Mojave Desert on Saturday, February 10, 2024, in California. Speaking to the media in Barstow, state. The CEO of Nigeria's largest bank, his wife and his son were also among those killed in Friday's financial crisis.
AP
On Friday, the CEO of Nigeria's largest bank was killed along with his wife and son when the helicopter they were riding in crashed near Interstate 15 in Southern California's Mojave Desert.
Access Bank chief executive Herbert Wigwe was among the six passengers and crew on board when the plane crashed shortly after 10pm, along with two pilots and Bamofin, former chairman of the Nigerian Stock Exchange NGX Group.・All six people, including Mr. Abimbola Ogunbanjo, died.
The deaths of Wigwe, his family, and Mr. Ogunbanjo were confirmed on Saturday by Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, former Nigeria's finance minister and current director-general of the World Trade Organization.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Okonjo-Iweala wrote: “Very saddened to hear the tragic news that Herbert Wigwe…his wife, son and Bimbo Ogunbanjo have passed away in a helicopter crash.” I wrote. “May the souls of those who have passed away rest in complete peace.”
Wigwe's death, 57, shocked many in Nigeria and the banking industry. He was widely recognized as an industry leader, having worked at two of the nation's largest banks, including Guaranty Trust Bank, where he previously served as executive director.
Under Wigwe's leadership, Access Bank's assets and presence expanded across borders and into several African countries.
His death is a “terrible blow” to the banking industry in Nigeria and Africa, Bayo Onanuga, Nigeria's presidential spokesperson, wrote in X. “Wigwe had a big vision to make Access Holdings (the parent company) the largest company in Africa and an unquenchable thirst for acquisitions,” Onanuga added.
Wigwe's interests also extended to the field of education. His private university, founded in his native Nigeria's oil-rich Niger Delta region, is scheduled to open in September. Last year, he said college was “an opportunity for me to give back to society.”
“This is surreal and I am speechless,” Festus Keyamo, Nigeria's Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, wrote on X. , friends and dependents across Nigeria. ”
The crash occurred south of Interstate 15 near Halloran Springs Road, about 75 miles (120 kilometers) northeast of Barstow, said Michael Graham of the National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating the accident. did.
Graham said he had no information about the two crew members, the pilot and safety pilot. The plane did not have a cockpit voice recorder or flight data recorder, and there was no need for one, he added.
Graham said the Airbus EC-130 departed Palm Springs Airport around 8:45 p.m. Friday and was headed to Boulder City, Nevada. Boulder City is about 26 miles (40 km) southeast of Las Vegas, and on Sunday the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers are scheduled to meet in Super Bowl XV.
It was a charter flight operated by Orbic Air LLC. Graham said several people traveling on Interstate 15 witnessed the crash and called 911, prompting them to contact the NTSB with details, including photos and videos.
Graham said witnesses reported that it was raining “winter-like” rain at the time of the crash. People also reported a fire in a helicopter and some power lines down.
“This is the beginning of a long process, and we're not going to jump to conclusions,” Graham said at a news conference Saturday night. He also said he “expressed our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives in this terrible tragedy.”
The crash site is not far from the California-Nevada border. Halloran Springs Road intersects with the highway in an area known to travelers as an abandoned gas station with signs reading “Logus” and “Eat.” It's a remote area of the desert at nearly 3,000 feet (914.40 meters) above sea level and approximately 60 to 80 miles (100 to 130 kilometers) by car from Las Vegas.
The crash occurred just three days after a U.S. Marine Corps helicopter crashed into the mountains outside San Diego during historic rainstorms, killing five Marines.
