 |
| AZAZI AND YOKOWA (right) |
A helicopter belonging to the Nigerian Navy has crashed in oil rich Bayelsa State, Southern Nigeria. On board were the Governornor of North Central Nigeria state of Kaduna, Patrick Yakowa, a former National Security Adviser, General Andrew Azazi, their aides and the pilot. There were no survivors. Azazi was fired in June amid growing sectarian violence in Nigeria, but maintained close ties with the government.
Yushau Shuaib, a spokesman for Nigeria's National Emergency Management Agency, said four other bodies had been found, but he could not immediately give their identities.
 |
| Pilot of the helicopter, Commander Muritala Mohammed Daba with his widow |
The crash occurred at about 3:30 p.m. after the navy helicopter took off from the village of Okoroba in Bayelsa state where officials had gathered to attend the burial of the father of a presidential aide, said Commodore Kabir Aliyu. He said that the helicopter was headed for Nigeria's oil capital of Port Harcourt when it crashed in the Nembe area of Bayelsa state.
Aviation disasters remain common in Nigeria, despite efforts in recent years to improve air safety.
In October, a plane made a crash landing in central Nigeria. A state governor and five others sustained injuries but survived.
In June, a Dana Air MD-83 passenger plane crashed into a neighborhood in the commercial capital of Lagos, killing 153 people onboard and at least 10 people on the ground. It was Nigeria's worst air crash in nearly two decades.
In March, a police helicopter carrying a high-ranking police official crashed in the central Nigerian city of Jos, killing four people.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Your comments are priceless!