Musings From Abroad

Herbert Wigwe: Nigeria, US in talks as investigation into the helicopter crash begins

Published

9 months ago

February 13, 2024

The Nigerian government has announced that it has started discussions with the US government on the ongoing investigation into the helicopter crash that occurred last weekend in California, USA, and resulted in the deaths of Herbert Wigwe, the Group Chief Executive Officer of Access Holdings, and a few others.

The announcement coincides with the announcement by US investigators that the wreckage of the downed helicopter will be moved to a different US location on Tuesday (today) for in-depth testing.

The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) of the United States have reportedly begun conversations to provide the required support for the ongoing investigation into the events leading up to the helicopter crash, according to the Federal Government.

The Federal Government of Nigeria’s NSIB is the organisation that looks into, among other things, aviation accidents. In the US, the NTSB has a similar mandate.

The latest action by the Nigerian government was confirmed by the Director-General of the NSIB, Captain Alex Badeh, in a statement. He stated that Nigeria’s cooperation with the US on this matter is in line with Chapter 5, Subsection 27 of the International Civil Aviation Organization’s Annex 13, which addresses “Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation.”

Chapter 5, Subsection 27 of ICAO Annex 13 states, according to the NSIB statement, that a state with a special interest in an accident because of fatalities or serious injuries to its residents is authorised to select an expert to “visit the scene of the accident; have access to relevant information approved for public release by the state conducting the investigation, as well as information on the progress of the investigation; receive a copy of the final report.”

Concurrently, the NTSB has verified that it has recognised significant elements of the downed helicopter, such as electrical gadgets and internal apparatus, at the accident site. Michael Graham, a board member of the NTSB, said that the team mapped the wreckage using overhead drones and recorded it, highlighting the organization’s dedication to a thorough investigation of the situation.

“Various electronic devices and onboard equipment were recovered at the scene for further examination and analysis,” he said, adding that the wreckage would be moved to a secure location on Tuesday for further examination and analysis.

The unfortunate helicopter, which Orbic Air was operating for a Part 135 charter flight, crashed on Friday night at around ten o’clock killing Wigwe, his wife, son and others.

Related Topics:Featured Herbert Wigwe Nigeria United States

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Musings From Abroad

Finnish court imprisons Nigeria’s Simon Ekpa for aiding terrorism

Published

14 hours ago

November 21, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

Simon Ekpa, a Nigerian separatist leader based abroad, has been placed under detention by the Päijät Häme District Court in Finland on suspicion of inciting others to commit acts of terrorism.

According to the local daily, Helsingin Sanomat, the court rendered the ruling on Thursday following his arraignment by the Central Criminal Police for his involvement in the terror attacks that have afflicted the southeast area of Nigeria.

“The police suspect that the man has promoted his efforts from Finland with means that have led to violence against civilians in the region of South-Eastern Nigeria,” stated Otto Hiltunen, the crime commissioner and investigation head.

“The man has carried out his activity, among other things, on his social media channels.”

Hiltunen also informed the court that the police suspected four additional individuals in Finland of funding Ekpa’s activities.

According to the story, Ekpa is of Nigerian descent and was born in the Finnish city of Lahti.

His offence occurred between August 23, 2021, and November 18, 2024, according to court documents cited in the publication.

Ekpa is not the only person the police have arrested. In February 2023, they caught him at a private Lahtian flat, but he was freed the same day.

Through the Eastern Security Network (ESN) and the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) movement, Ekpa has continued to be outspoken on social media, raising money and agitating for a Biafran nation to secede. In the southeast part of Nigeria, both factions have been involved in acts of violence, murders, and maimings.

Since gaining formal independence in 1960, Nigeria has seen the emergence of several separatist organisations. The latest surge of calls for self-determination among different ethnic groups has been louder under its immediate previous President Muhammadu Buhari.

Musings From Abroad

Malian singer Rokia Traore arrested in Italy, to be sent to Belgium

Published

1 day ago

November 20, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

After Italy’s top court denied her appeal, well-known Malian singer, Rokia Traore, who was detained in Rome in June due to a global child custody dispute, will be sent over to Belgium in the next few days, her attorney announced on Wednesday.

The 50-year-old Traore is a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR and one of Africa’s most well-known vocalists.

“Rokia suffered an injustice. She was arrested without the Belgian criminal court hearing her voice. Now, the battle for Rokia’s rights moves to Brussels,” lawyer Maddalena Del Re said in a statement to Reuters.

The attorney also stated that in its decision late Tuesday, Italy’s Court of Cassation upheld an extradition decision from the European Court of Justice.

Under a European arrest order, Traore was taken into custody on June 20 at the Fiumicino airport in Rome. In October 2023, she was given a two-year prison sentence in Belgium related to a dispute over her daughter’s custody.

She had flown to perform outside Rome’s Colosseum, and she has been imprisoned in Civitavecchia, close to the Italian city, since her detention at Fiumicino.

Lawyer Del Re said that because a conviction was rendered without the defendant’s presence, the Belgian process goes against both international norms and Italian constitutional standards.

After she disregarded a court order to turn over her baby to her Belgian father, the singer’s divorced ex-partner, she was initially taken into custody in France in 2020 on a Belgian arrest warrant.

She disobeyed orders not to leave France until her extradition case was handled by taking a private jet to Mali months after being conditionally released. Mali is where her daughter resides.