The CEO of one of Nigeria's largest banks is believed to have been killed along with his wife and son when the helicopter they were traveling in crashed in the Mojave Desert in Southern California.
Herbert Wigwe, CEO of Access Bank, and his family were among six people on board when the charter plane crashed shortly after 10 p.m. Friday near Interstate 15, near the California-Nevada border.
The others killed were two pilots and a fourth passenger identified as Bamofin Abimbola Ogunbanjo, former chairman of NGX Group, the Nigerian stock exchange.
The deaths of Wigwe, his family and Ogunbanjo were confirmed by Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a former Nigerian finance minister who is now director-general of the World Trade Organization.
“I am deeply saddened by the news of the terrible loss of Herbert Wigwe…his wife and son as well as Bimbo Ogunbanjo in a helicopter crash,” Okonjo-Iweala wrote in a post on X. In complete peace.”
A “painful blow” to the banking industry in Nigeria and Africa
Wigwe, 57, was widely viewed as an industry pioneer, having been involved in two of the country's largest banks, including Guaranty Trust Bank, where he previously served as CEO.
Nigerian presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga wrote on X that his death represents a “horrific blow” to Nigeria and the banking industry in Africa. “Wigwe had a big vision to make Access Holdings (the parent company) the largest company in Africa, with all the unquenchable thirst for acquisitions.”
“This is surreal”
Mr. Wigwe's interests also included the education sector. His private university, founded in Nigeria's oil-rich Niger Delta region, where he is from, is scheduled to open in September. Last year, he said the university was “an opportunity for me to give back to the community.”
“This is surreal, I’m at a loss for words,” Festus Keyamo, Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Space Development, wrote on X.
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Reports stated that the plane, an Airbus EC-130, left Palm Springs Airport at approximately 8:45 pm on Friday and was heading to Boulder, Nevada.
Boulder is about 26 miles (40 km) southeast of Las Vegas, where the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers are scheduled to play in Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday.
Michael Graham of the National Transportation Safety Board
Michael Graham of the National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating the crash, said witnesses reported it was raining a “wintry mix” at the time of the crash.
People also reported a fire in the helicopter as well as some power lines falling.
The accident came three days after a US Marine Corps helicopter crashed in the mountains outside San Diego during historic heavy rains, killing five Marines.
