Helicopter Crash:  Why Access Bank CEO Wigwe, Family Were In US – Report Claims As US Intensifies Investigations

Reports have emerged claiming that the deceased  Access Bank  Holdings Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Herbert Wigwe and family were in United States to watch Super Bowl 58, an American football competition.

Wigwe, his wife, and two children who died in a crash on Friday night in a helicopter crash were in the US to watch Super Bowl 58, an American football competition scheduled for Sunday, 11 February, 2024, according to Abuja Reports.

It was gathered that Wigwe left Lagos on Wednesday to watch the Super Bowl 58. The LVIII will be held on Sunday, February 11, 2024, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

“Wigwe’s wife and two kids also died in the crash. He left Lagos on Wednesday to watch the U.S. Super Bowl”, the report claims.

But the CNN reports that CEO of a major Nigerian bank, along with his wife and son, were among six people killed in a helicopter crash in the Mojave Desert near the California- Nevada border late Friday night, according to a World Trade Organization official.

Access Bank chief executive Herbert Wigwe, his wife and son, and the former group chairman of the Nigeria Stock Exchange, Abimbola Ogunbanjo, died in the crash, WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala said in a post on X. Both of the helicopter’s pilots were also killed, according to authorities.

The chartered Airbus EC130 helicopter was flying from Palm Springs, California, to Boulder City, Nevada, just outside of Las Vegas, according to National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) member Michael Graham.

The aircraft, which was operated by California-based charter company Orbic Air, took off around 8:45 p.m. PT and crashed just after 10 p.m. near Interstate 15 in Halloran Springs, California, Graham said.

The helicopter caught fire upon impact, Graham added, citing witness reports. Witnesses also reported rain and a wintry mix when the crash happened, he said.

The NTSB is investigating the cause of the crash and was on the scene in Halloran Springs, California, Saturday night collecting evidence, Graham said at a news conference.

Authorities have yet to publicly identify the people killed but condolences have began pouring in for the Wigwe family and Ogunbanjo.

Investigators will return to the crash scene Sunday to continue documenting the site, including using a drone to create an aerial map of the wreckage, Graham said. He requested anyone who witnessed the crash contact the NTSB and provide any available photos or video of the incident.

“The identities of the deceased will be released once positive identification has been made and next of kin notifications have been made,” the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said Saturday.

A preliminary investigation report will be released in the coming weeks, but the full inquiry could take as long as two years before a final report is published, according to Graham.

Reports further said Herbert Wigwe and the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, were absent at the Access Bank Lagos Marathon on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki has said that he was shocked and devastated over the death of Herbert Wigwe, his family, and Ogunbanjo.

In a press statement by the governor, made available to the journalists on Saturday in Benin, he said, “The news of the passing of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Access Bank Holdings, Dr. Herbert Wigwe, who died in a helicopter crash in the United States of America has left me extremely shocked and devastated.

“We also unfortunately lost Wigwe’s wife and son as well as the former group chairman of Nigeria Stock Exchange, Abimbola Ogunbanjo, in the crash.

“The tragic incident is painful and heart-wrenching and we pray for God’s abiding comfort in this profoundly difficult time.

“Wigwe was a colossus in Nigeria’s financial sector, leading Access Bank to become an international brand that placed Nigeria on the global map of first-class financial services.

“I commiserate with the Wigwe family, the Ogunbanjo family, Access Bank Holding, the Nigeria Stock Exchange, friends, and associates and pray that God will grant all the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.”