Huhuonline.com can disclose that an helicopter, conveying Group Chief Executive Officer of Access Holdings, Herbert Wigwe, his wife Chizoba, his son, a former President of Nigeria Exchange Group, Abimbola Ogunbanjo and two others, crashed Friday night near Nipton, California.
The Federal Aviation Administration(FAA) confirmed the incident and identified the helicopter as a Eurocopter EC 130, with six people aboard.The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate.
As of Saturday, no survivors had been found, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement.
“We were made aware of a downed aircraft at approximately 10:12 p.m. The scene of the crash was determined to be east of the 15-Freeway, near Halloran Springs Road,” the sheriff’s department said.
Huhuonline.com understands that the helicopter took off from Palm Springs airport about 8.45pm and was en route to Boulder City, Nevada. Boulder City is about 26 miles (41km) south-east of Las Vegas, where the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers will play Sunday in Super Bowl LVIII.
The area of the crash is known to travelers for an abandoned gas station with a sign declaring “Lo-Gas” and “Eat”. It’s in a remote area of the Mojave desert, with an elevation of nearly 3,000ft (914.4 metres). Logs from the California highway patrol show there was rain and snow in the area near the time of the crash.
Reacting to the incident, Godwin Obaseki, Governor, Edo State, said he was shocked, devastated by passing of Herbert Wigwe, wife, son, Ogunbanjo, others.
His words: “The news of the passing of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Access Bank Holdings, Dr. Herbert Wigwe, who died in a helicopter crash in the United States of America has left me extremely shocked and devastated.”
“We also unfortunately lost Wigwe’s wife and son as well as the former group chairman of Nigeria Stock Exchange, Abimbola Ogunbanjo, in the crash.”
“The tragic incident is painful and heart wrenching and we pray for God’s abiding comfort in this profoundly difficult time.”
“Wigwe was a colossus in Nigeria’s financial sector, leading Access Bank to become an international brand that placed Nigeria on the global map of first class financial services.”
“I commiserate with the Wigwe family, the Ogunbanjo family, Access Bank Holding, the Nigeria Stock Exchange, friends and associates and pray that God will grant all the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.”
