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Associated Press

Nigerian leaders on Sunday mourned the death of the CEO of one of the country’s largest banks after he and five others were killed Friday in a helicopter crash in Southern California’s Mojave Desert.
Herbert Wigwe, chief executive of Access Bank, and his wife and son were among the six people on board when the aircraft went down shortly after 10pm near Interstate 15.
All six people were killed, including two pilots and Bamofin Abimbola Ogunbanjo, former chair of NGX Group, the Nigerian stock exchange.
Nigeria’s president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, grieved the deaths in a post on X.

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 Plc, along with members of the Wigwe family - Herbert’s… pic.twitter.com/Ptc9tkfRBP
— Bola Ahmed Tinubu (@officialABAT) February 11, 2024

“Their passing is an overwhelming tragedy that is shocking beyond comprehension,” he wrote. “I pray for the peaceful repose of the departed and ask God Almighty to comfort the multitude of Nigerians who are grieving and the families of the deceased at this deeply agonising moment.”
The death of Wigwe, 57; his wife, Chizoba; and son, Chizi, shocked many in Nigeria and in the banking sector. He was widely seen as an industry leader, having been involved in two of the country’s biggest banks, including Guaranty Trust Bank, where he was previously executive director.
Chile’s former president Sebastian Pinera dies in helicopter crash
Under Wigwe’s leadership, Access Bank’s assets and presence grew beyond borders in several African countries.
“Dr Wigwe was a key driving force and a larger-than-life personality who brought his remarkable passion, energy and experience to the transformation of the Access franchise,” Sunday Ekwochi, group company secretary of parent company Access Holdings, said Sunday in a statement.
The bank, in a post on X, wrote that Wigwe’s “passion and unwavering commitment to excellence transformed Access into a global powerhouse”.

Today, we bid farewell to a visionary leader, @HerbertOWigwe, whose passion and unwavering commitment to excellence transformed Access into a global powerhouse.
His legacy of excellence and compassion will continue to inspire us all.
Rest in peace, Herbert Wigwe. Your impact… pic.twitter.com/Hmatx5aT9D
— Access Bank Plc (@myaccessbank) February 11, 2024

“His legacy of excellence and compassion will continue to inspire us all,” the statement said.
Wigwe’s death is “a terrible blow” for Nigeria and Africa’s banking industry, Nigerian presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga wrote on X. “Wigwe had a big vision to make Access Holdings Africa’s biggest, with all the unquenchable thirst for acquisitions,” Onanuga added.
Wigwe’s interests also spanned the education sector. His private university, founded in Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta region where he was from, is scheduled to open in September. Last year he said the university was “an opportunity for me to give back to society”.
The crash happened south of I-15 near Halloran Springs Road, about 120km northeast of Barstow, according to Michael Graham of the National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating the crash.
Graham said Saturday that he did not have information about the two crew members, a pilot and a safety pilot. The aircraft did not have a cockpit voice recorder or a flight data recorder and was not required to have them, he added.
Kobe Bryant’s widow awarded US$16 million in trial over crash photos
The Airbus EC-130 left Palm Springs Airport at around 8.45 on Friday and was travelling to Boulder City, Nevada, Graham said. Boulder City is about 40km southeast of Las Vegas, where the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers played in Super Bowl 58 on Sunday.
Flight-tracking data shows the helicopter was travelling along the interstate about 1,000 to 1,500 feet above ground level, Graham said during a Sunday news conference. The aircraft made a slight right turn, turning south of the roadway, and the data then shows a gradual descent and increasing ground speed.
The wreckage site shows that helicopter hit the ground with its nose low at a right-bank angle, Graham said, adding that meteorologists have confirmed the weather included precipitation. The debris field was about 91 metres long.
The flight was a charter operated by Orbic Air LLC. Several people travelling on I-15 witnessed the crash and called 911, Graham said.
Witnesses reported that it was raining with a “wintry mix” at the time of the crash, according to Graham. People also reported a fire on the helicopter plus some downed power lines.
“This is the beginning of a long process. We will not jump to any conclusions,” Graham said Saturday.
Investigators on Sunday began mapping the area with drones and documenting the wreckage. They are also gathering pilot and maintenance records. A preliminary report is expected to be released within 30 days, though a full investigation will take up to two years to complete.
The crash came just three days after a US Marine Corps helicopter went down in the mountains outside San Diego during historic downpours, killing five Marines.


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Nigeria mourns after major bank CEO killed in US helicopter crash

Banker Herbert Wigwe, 57, was killed alongside his wife and son. File photo: TNS

Chile’s former president Sebastian Pinera dies in helicopter crash. He was 74

Sebastian Pinera in a helicopter in 2006. The former Chilean president died on Tuesday in a crash. File photo: AFP

Police at the scene of the crash. Photo: Heverd Alarcon/Canal del sur via Reuters

Sebastian Pinera was perhaps best known abroad for his role overseeing the spectacular rescue in 2010 of 33 miners. File photo: Government of Chile

Supporters of Sebastian Pinera gather to mourn at the headquarters of the National Renewal party, in Santiago, Chile. Photo: Reuters

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Vanessa Bryant, the widow of Kobe Bryant, leaves a federal courthouse in Los Angeles on August 10. Photo: AP

Graphic photos from Kobe Bryant crash site prompt tougher privacy law

The crash site in Calabasas, California, where Kobe Bryant and others were killed on January 26, 2020. Photo: TNS

FILE - In this March 2, 2019, file photo, Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna watch the first half of an NCAA college basketball game between Connecticut and Houston in Storrs, Conn. Autopsy reports released Friday, May 15, 2020, show that the pilot who flew Bryant did not have drugs or alcohol in his system when the helicopter crashed in Southern California in January, killing all nine aboard. The causes of death for Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, pilot Ara Zobayan and the others have been ruled blunt force trauma. Federal authorities are still investigating the Jan. 26 incident where the chopper crashed into the Calabasas hillsides. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill, File)

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World

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United States & Canada

Herbert Wigwe, co-founder of Nigeria’s biggest bank, died along with his wife, son and three others
Nigeria’s president called the crash ‘an overwhelming tragedy that is shocking beyond comprehension’


Herbert Wigwe, co-founder of Nigeria’s biggest bank, and five others were killed Friday in a helicopter crash in Southern California’s Mojave Desert.


Banking & finance

Kansas City Chiefs

Nigeria

Nigeria mourns after major bank CEO killed in US helicopter crash

Herbert Wigwe, co-founder of Nigeria’s biggest bank, died along with his wife, son and three others Nigeria’s president called the crash ‘an overwhelming tragedy that is shocking beyond comprehension’

Herbert Wigwe, co-founder of Nigeria’s biggest bank, died along with his wife, son and three others

Nigeria’s president called the crash ‘an overwhelming tragedy that is shocking beyond comprehension’