Yesterday, the Nigerian business community was plunged into mourning following the tragic helicopter crash that claimed the lives of two prominent figures, Herbert Onyewumba Wigwe and Abimbola Ogunbanjo, along with three other passengers, including Wigwe’s wife, Chizoba, and their son, as well as the two crew members.
Herbert Onyewumba Wigwe, the former Chief Executive Officer of Access Holdings and the visionary behind Wigwe University in Isiokpo, Rivers State, was among those lost in the accident. Abimbola Ogunbanjo, the Group Chairman of Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX Group) Plc, and scion of the late corporate lawyer and philanthropist, Chief Christopher Oladipo Ogunbanjo, also tragically perished in the crash.
The Eurocopter EC 130 helicopter they were traveling in went down near Baker, a town approximately 153 kilometers (95 miles) southwest of Las Vegas, as reported by multiple sources in the US. Departing from Palm Springs Airport around 8:45 pm, the helicopter was en route to Boulder City, Nevada when the crash occurred at about 10 pm, according to the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department.
Tragically, there were no survivors, and the exact cause of the crash remains unknown. Both the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration have launched investigations into the incident.
This devastating event comes on the heels of another helicopter crash less than a week prior, involving a U.S. Marine Corps helicopter in the mountains outside San Diego during historic downpours, which claimed the lives of five Marines. The loss of Herbert Onyewumba Wigwe, Abimbola Ogunbanjo, and their companions has sent shockwaves through the Nigerian business community and beyond, leaving a void that will be deeply felt by all who knew them.
