- Herbert Wigwe, Nigerian banker, among 6 dead in Calif. helicopter crash
According to officials, a Friday night helicopter crash in the Mojave desert near the California-Nevade border killed six people, including the CEO of Nigeria’s largest bank, his wife, and his son.
The disaster killed Access Bank CEO Herbert Wigwe, his wife Doreen Chizoba, and son Chizi, as well as former stock exchange group chairman Abimola Ogunbanjo. In an X post, WTO director general Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala revealed those identities.
Access Bank authorities verified their IDs.
The helicopter at the core of the terrible incident left Palm Springs airport in California around 8.45 p.m. Friday for Boulder City, Nevada, 26 miles (41km) southeast of Las Vegas, which hosts the Super Bowl on Sunday. An Airbus Helicopter EC-130 was reported.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff Department reported the crash at 10.10 p.m. on Friday night. Two helicopter pilots and all six passengers died, but their identities were not published.
NTSB and FAA are investigating the crash’s cause.
CNN stated that investigators will use a drone to document the crash site on Sunday. Witnesses said the helicopter caught fire after crashing. Weather conditions at the collision were rain and wintry.
“I am shocked and deeply distressed by the news of the passing of Mr. Herbert Wigwe, a distinguished banker, humanitarian, and entrepreneur, and Mr. Abimbola Ogunbanjo, the former group chairman of the Nigerian Exchange Group, along with members of the Wigwe family—Henry’s wife, [Doreen] Chizoba, and son, Chizi,” Nigeria’s president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, They died in an unfathomable catastrophe. My sympathies to the Wigwe and Ogunbanjo families, the business community, and all those affected by this horrific incident.”
Access business’s website states that Wigwe became managing director and managing director in 2014, having joined the business in 2002. Access Bank is the largest bank in Nigeria.
“Today and always, let us remember that life is a precious gift—a chance to breathe, feel, love, experience, and connect,” Wigwe wrote on X in January 2024. Let’s honour this gift by living with purpose, generosity, and thankfulness, making every moment count. Number our days.”
