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Herbert Wigwe speaks on stage in Lagos, Nigeria, September 18, 2021.
CNN
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The CEO of a major Nigerian bank, his wife and son were also killed in a helicopter crash in the Mojave Desert near the California-Nevada border late Friday night, World Trade Organization officials said. He was one of six people.
Access Bank chief executive Herbert Wigwe, his wife and son, and former Nigerian Stock Exchange group chairman Abimbola Ogunbanjo died in the accident, WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala announced. . Post to X. Two helicopter pilots were also killed, authorities said.
The chartered Airbus EC130 helicopter was flying from Palm Springs, California, to Boulder City, Nevada, outside Las Vegas, National Transportation Safety Board Commissioner Michael Graham said.
Graham said the plane, operated by California-based charter company Obic Air, took off at about 8:45 p.m. PT and arrived just after 10 p.m. on Interstate 15 at Halloran Springs, California. It crashed near the line.
Graham added, citing witness reports. Witnesses also reported that it was a combination of rain and winter when the accident occurred.
The NTSB was investigating the cause of the accident and was at the scene in Halloran Springs, Calif., on Saturday night to collect evidence, Graham said at a news conference.
Although authorities have not yet announced the names of those killed, condolences have begun to pour in for Wigwe's family and bereaved family. Ogunbanjo.
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Godwin Obaseki, the governor of Nigeria's Edo state, said he was “deeply shocked and devastated” and described the deaths as an “irreparable loss”.
“Wigwe is a giant in Nigeria’s financial sector, leading Access Bank to an international brand and putting Nigeria on the world map for premier financial services,” Obaseki said. Post to X.
Wigwe was appointed group managing director and chief executive officer of Access Bank in 2014, according to the company's website. CNN has reached out to the bank for comment.
Investigators plan to return to the crash site Sunday to continue documenting the scene, including using a drone to create an aerial map of the wreckage, Graham said. He asked anyone who witnessed the accident to contact the NTSB and provide any available photos or videos of the accident.
“The identity of the deceased will be released once positive identification has been made and next of kin has been notified,” the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said Saturday.
Graham said the preliminary investigation report is expected to be released in the coming weeks, but it could take up to two years after the full investigation is completed before the final report is released.
