The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) says two more bodies have been recovered from the Sikorsky S-76 helicopter that crashed in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.

Three persons were confirmed dead following the crash on Thursday. Eight persons (six passengers and two crew members) were on board the aircraft when the incident happened.

Barely a day after the crash, the NSIB said more bodies have been recovered while three more persons remain unaccounted for.

“We have recovered two more bodies, making it a total of five. There are three more down there that hopefully will be recovered today,” NSIB Director General Alex Badeh said on Friday’s edition of Channels Television’s breakfast show Sunrise Daily.

When asked if there are chances that none of those on board the aircraft survived the crash, Badeh said, “Unfortunately. this time, that is the working theory”.

According to him, investigators are on their way to the scene of the accident, saying it would take days for the wreckage of the aircraft to be recovered.

‘We Might Find Survivors’

He said, “The priority is to recover the rest of the bodies there” but there is a “chance” that some persons onboard the aircraft might be alive.

“Human beings are resilient. As long as they have their life support devices, there is a chance we might find survivors there,” Badeh said.

The helicopter, with registration 5N-BQG, operated by Eastwind Aviation, crashed one kilometre away from its destination. It was engaged by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).

It crashed around 11:22 am along the waterways in the Rivers State capital after taking off from the Port Harcourt Military Base (DNPM) to the FPSO – NUIMS ANTAN oil rig.

The cause of the incident is unclear as of now but Badeh said “there was so light and moderate rain on their arrival and there was an overcast. We would look into that. That might have a chance or a role to play.

“Other than that, I can’t really say until we recover the flight recorder and speak to more witnesses there.”

Police authorities in Rivers State said all eight persons aboard the aircraft may have died from the incident.

“All eight persons onboard are feared dead,” the Rivers State Police Command said on Friday.

“The Marine Division of the Rivers State Police Command is cooperating with other agencies to recover the aircraft and the occupants.”

Following the crash, President Bola Tinubu ordered authorities to intensify their efforts in the rescue mission.

He also commiserated with the families of the victims and the NNPCL over the crash.

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The presidency has dismissed the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, from its cabinet.

The Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, confirmed the development in an interview with SaharaReporters on Thursday.

Recall that Edu was suspended in January 2024 over the alleged diversion of more than N585 million in public funds into a personal bank account.

Tinubu also asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to thoroughly investigate all the ministry’s financial transactions.

The investigation extended to the entire framework of Nigeria’s social investment programmes.

However, Edu has denied any wrongdoing.

Tinubu, in the list of new ministers released on Wednesday, replaced Betta Edu with a former gubernatorial candidate on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Nentawe Yilwatda.

However, Tinubu was silent about the replacement as Edu’s name was not among the list of sacked ministers.

Speaking on why Betta Edu was not listed along with the names of other ministers dismissed by President Tinubu, as announced by the Presidency on Wednesday, Ajayi said, “Since the President did not bring her back, it is as clear as it is.

“If she’s not coming back to the cabinet, it means she’s not part of it, especially if you didn’t see her name in the reshuffled cabinet yesterday.

The President has the power to hire and fire, to appoint and reappoint whoever he wants to reappoint. If her name is not there, that means she’s not there. I don’t think there is anything to argue about.”

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Anambra State have condemned the appointment of Bianca Ojukwu as a minister-designate, calling it an anti-party action.

They questioned the rationale behind President Bola Tinubu’s decision to appoint Bianca, a member of the Board of Trustees of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), without consulting APC party members.

During an emergency meeting of party stakeholders in Awka on Thursday, October 24, the APC leaders described the appointment as a gross violation of party loyalty that undermines the morale of their members.

High Chief Bunty Onuigbo, the South East Zonal Secretary of APC and a member of the APC Elders Forum in Anambra, who spoke on behalf of the stakeholders, said: “This is nothing but an act of anti-party, and it is detrimental. By empowering members of other political parties at the expense of the APC in Anambra State, Mr President is not supporting party loyalty,” he stated.

Onuigbo further questioned the implications of the appointment, asking, “Does Mr President want a mass defection of APC members in Anambra to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA)? Is he indirectly working for APGA in Anambra State?”

He expressed that the situation is both “unheard of and highly demoralising,” lamenting that the leadership in Abuja seems to be enhancing the fortunes of rival parties at the expense of the APC

Of the seven ministers appointed on Wednesday, October 23, Bianca Ojukwu’s appointment has been the most talked about, with Nigerians across various social media accounts debating this move by the president.