Aviation industry operators and experts have confirmed that the operators of the helicopter that killed Herbert Wigwe, the former Group Chief Executive Officer of Access Holdings Plc, along with his wife, son, and three other people in February 2024, may soon be charged with a crime in the United States.

Nigerian aviation experts said the US government will likely charge Orbic Air with criminal negligence. Photo Credit: Herbert Wigwe Source: UGC On February 9, 2024, the Airbus EC130B4 helicopter, which was flown by Orbic Air, LLC.

The incident claimed the lives of two pilots, Wigwe, his wife Doreen, their first son Chizi, and former NGX Group Chairman Abimbola Ogunbanjo.

The primary causes of the incident, according to the US National Transportation Safety Board’s final report, were “pilot disorientation” and a breach of flight procedures, particularly the decision to operate under visual flight rules in instrument meteorological conditions.

Another possible cause of the tragedy was identified as a malfunctioning radar altimeter that had been detected during a repositioning flight earlier that day. Nigerian aviation experts now predict that the US government will likely charge Orbic Air with criminal negligence before a judicial panel of inquiry.

After reviewing the case, the panel would decide how much the helicopter firm would be held liable for and what penalty it would face.

Capt. Muhammad Badamasi, a former pilot with the now-defunct Nigeria Airways, told The PUNCH that the state was the plaintiff and the helicopter firm was the defendant, stating that the case was already in court.

He said, “It’s already a legal matter. The panel of inquiry will determine whether the crash and the resultant deaths were due to a breach of the company’s safety protocols. If so, it becomes a judicial issue, and charges may follow.”

Badamasi emphasised that the United States would handle any legal proceedings, adding that interested parties could include representatives from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the National Transportation Safety Board. Badamasi also highlighted that the case might mark a turning point for regulatory enforcement in private charter operations, both domestically and abroad, as judicial scrutiny increases.

Similar opinions were expressed by Capt. Ado Sanusi, a retired pilot and current managing director of Aero Contractors, who stated that the state would pursue legal action following the submission of the accident investigation body’s findings regarding the incident’s underlying cause.

The US is expected to pursue legal action following the submission of the accident investigation findings. Photo Credit: Access Bank Source: UGC He said, “Once the investigation report is out, the next step lies with the appropriate legal authorities. If negligence is established, it is within their jurisdiction to act accordingly. The role of the aviation industry ends with identifying the cause.” Chris Aligbe, another industry expert, stated that the case would be tried under US law and that negligence cases are no longer treated lightly in the aviation sector worldwide. He said, “Before now, issues like this happened and the masterminds got away with it, but not anymore, things are changing.

The root cause will be determined and prosecuted in accordance with the law of the land.” Report explains real cause of Herbert Wigwe’s helicopter crash Legit.ng reported that the full report from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on the February 2024 helicopter crash that killed Herbert Wigwe, the former Group Chief Executive Officer of Access Holdings Plc, and his family members has been made public.

Abimbola Ogunbanjo, the former group chairman of Nigerian Exchange Group Plc, Wigwe, his wife Doreen, and their son Chizi were among the six individuals killed in the February 9, 2024, collision near the California-Nevada border. According to the report, investigators determined the “probable cause of this accident to be: the pilot’s decision to continue the visual flight rules flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in the pilot’s spatial disorientation and loss of control.”

Legit

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), has denied any link to destruction that trailed the #EndSARS protest in October 2020 was triggered by his radio broadcast.

At the resumption of the hearing on Thursday, the video of the interrogation session of the IPOB leader was played in the court.

In the video, Kanu admitted that he made some pronouncements in respect of the #EndSARS protest and other issues via Radio Biafra.

But the IPOB leader said violence witnessed during the #EndSARS protest in Lagos was outside the south-east geopolitical zone.

He added that his radio broadcast could not have resulted in the violence in Lagos.

Kanu said he was not directly involved in the day-to-day running of both organisations — IPOB and Eastern Security Network (ESN).

He added that the organisations were managed by states’ coordinators.

The IPOB leader said he did not have authority over the members of the organisations.

Kanu said he would not have subscribed to a referendum for secession if he had authority over the members.

The IPOB leader denied that the group is responsible for the violent attacks and killings in the south-east zone.

He said ESN was established to stop the killings of people in the south-east zone.

Led in evidence by Adegboyega Awomolo, counsel to the DSS, the witness said the radio broadcast of the IPOB leader led to the killings of eminent Nigerians, including security officers.

The DSS operative said Kanu’s broadcast led to the killing of Stanley Nnaji, a retired judge, and Audu Lucas and Glory Matthew, an intending military couple, in the south-east zone of the country.

The witness said in one of Kanu’s broadcasts, he ordered his followers to enforce a sit-at-home order in the south-east and kill those who disobeyed the directive.

The DSS official said the broadcast also led to the killing of Ahmed Gulak, a former presidential aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan.

The witness said investigation revealed that before Gulak was killed, those enforcing the sit-at-home directive blamed him for coming out the day their leader instructed everyone to stay indoors.

After the witness completed his testimony, Paul Erokoro, the defendant’s lawyer, sought an adjournment for the cross-examination of the DSS operative.

The judge adjourned the matter to May 14, May 21 and May 22 for further hearing.

By Francesca Hangeior

The US military will immediately commenced the process of removing some 1,000 transgender troops and will force out those who do not leave voluntarily by early June, the Pentagon said on Thursday.

President Donald Trump issued an executive order in January banning transgender military service, and the US Supreme Court ruled this week that the ban could take effect while litigation challenging it plays out.

“The Military Departments will immediately begin processing for separation service members who previously self-identified for voluntary separation prior to March 26, 2025,” a memo from Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said.

Approximately 1,000 troops who identified as having gender dysphoria diagnoses fall into that category, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement.

There was a total of 4,240 currently serving troops with such diagnoses as of late last year, according to a senior defense official, and the memo said those who do not voluntarily leave by June 6 for active-duty troops and the following day for reserves will be removed.

“On conclusion of the self-identification eligibility window, the Military Departments will initiate involuntary separation processes,” the memo said.

In his January 27 executive order, Trump stated that “expressing a false ‘gender identity’ divergent from an individual’s sex cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for military service.”

The Pentagon followed that up with a memo issued in late February stating that it would remove transgender troops from the military unless they obtain a waiver on a case-by-case basis, as well as prevent transgender people from joining.

Transgender Americans have faced a roller coaster of changing policies on military service in recent years, with Democratic administrations seeking to permit them to serve openly, while Trump has sought to keep them out of the ranks.