Quorum Aviation Identifies Victims Of Lagos Helicopter Crash

 

Quorum Aviation Limited, the owner of the helicopter that crashed in Lagos State, says two crew members died in the incident. 

In a statement issued by the company on Friday, Quorum Aviation said the surviving passenger is being treated at a hospital.

“Preliminary reports indicate that of the three souls on board – all crew, two of the crew members lost their lives whilst the third one is currently receiving treatment at a hospital,” the statement explained.

“We have been made to understand that nobody in the building, nor in the vicinity was injured for which we are grateful.”

It explained that as soon as Quorum Aviation was informed about the incident, “we promptly informed the aviation authorities, Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).”

The AIB has taken over the investigation and, the company, is, therefore, calling on the public to await its outcome.

“We hereby express our heartfelt condolences to the families of the crew who lost their loved ones in this tragic accident,” the firm added.

The helicopter crashed into a private building in the Opebi area of Lagos and sources say the aircraft, a Bell 206, with registration number 5N BQW, came in from Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital with two crew members and a passenger.

LASEMA Gives Update

“We were able to rescue one person alive and he has been transferred to the Lagos state teaching hospital where he is receiving adequate treatment, but it is pertinent to note that we recovered two bodies and they have been deposited at the mortuary,” the Director-General of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Dr Femi Osanyintolu said while giving an update about the incident.

“Based on the investigation carried out, it was due to the impact that led to their mortalities.”

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Gunmen Kidnap Policeman, Three Others In Kaduna

 

A policeman and an official of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) have been abducted by gunmen suspected to be kidnappers in Kaduna state.

The two security operatives were kidnapped from their residences at Maraban Rido in Chikun Local Government Area of the state in the late hours of Thursday.

A 14-year-old girl and one other person were also whisked away by the abductors during the operation.

The gunmen were said to have invaded the community at about midnight and went straight to some houses, shooting sporadically, and later took their victims away.

Although police authorities in the state are yet to confirm the abduction of its personnel, the spokesman of NSCDC, Kaduna State Command, Orndiir Terzungwe, however, confirmed the incident to Channels Television.

He explained that the Civil Defence officer was abducted by the gunmen from his home and taken to an unknown destination.

Terzungwe disclosed that the command has launched a manhunt of the kidnappers with a view to rescuing the officer and arresting the kidnappers.

The attack comes four days after gunmen abducted an unconfirmed number of students from a school in Kaduna State.

Channels Television learned that the incident took place on August 24, 2020 at Prince Academy in Samba-Kasaya, a village around Buruku area in Chikun Local Government Area of the state.

Those kidnapped are said to be some JSS 3 students who are preparing for the Basic Education Certificate Examinations (BECE) before the armed men invaded the school at about 7am and took them away.

Although the police authorities had yet to confirm the incident as at the time of filing the report, a security source in the area said a member of a local group in the village was shot dead by the gunmen while some villagers were also abducted along with the students.

Similarly, no fewer than 20 people were killed and several others injured in fresh attacks on three communities in Zangon Kataf Local Government Area of the state

The attack, which occurred on August 6, was said to have been carried out by suspected militia.

The affected communities are Kurmin Masara, Apyia Shyim, and Takmawai .

The fresh killings come few days after security agencies were deployed to the vulnerable communities of the state to prevent residents from further attacks.

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Helicopter crashes in Lagos: 2 feared Dead

There was pandemonium around Opebi, Ikeja Friday afternoon when a helicopter dropped from the Sky and crashed into a Building 16A Salvation Rd,  IKEJA instantly Killing Two of three Occupants. The state of the third occupant however yet to be ascertained.  The casualties have have already been deposited at the Mortuary.
 

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UPDATE!! Lagos Eases Coronavirus Lockdown, Reopening Churches, Mosques

The governor of Nigeria’s commercial capital Lagos said on Saturday churches and mosques would reopen next week as the authorities move to ease the lockdown over the coronavirus pandemic.

“Places of worship in Lagos will now be opened from Friday, the 7th of August for our Muslim worshippers, and on Sunday, the 9th of August for our Christian worshippers,” Babajide Sanwo-Olu said in a statement.

But the numbers of worshippers will be limited as a measure to prevent further infections.

“We will only allow 50% of their maximum capacities, either at the church or at the mosque,”

“For the avoidance of doubt, there will be Friday worships for our Muslim followers and Sunday worships for our Christian followers,” the governor said.

But night vigils and other services are still not allowed, he added.

Sanwo-Olu also advised elderly worshippers from 65 years to stay at home.

Lagos, Nigeria’s largest city of over 20 million inhabitants, shut churches, mosques, night clubs and hotels in March as part of measures to curb the spread of Covid-19.

The virus has so far infected 43 151 people and killed 879 since the first case was listed in late February, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.

Lagos, the country’s largest city, is the epicentre of the outbreak in Nigeria, with more than 15 000 confirmed cases and 192 deaths.

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Fighting Corruption Will Get More Difficult In Nigeria – Osinbajo

The Vice President of Nigeria, Yemi Osinbajo, has spoken of why the fight against corruption in the country may continue to get difficult on a daily basis.

Mr Osinbajo spoke on Tuesday at the 20th-anniversary regional webinar organised by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other offences Commission (ICPC).

His speech was titled, “Combating corruption and illicit financial flows: New measures and strategies.” and was made available to journalists by his spokesperson, Laolu Akande.

He noted that aside from the difficulties, many people will also get frustrated for standing against corruption.

“The fight against corruption is nuanced and hydra-headed, it is not going to get easier by the day; as a matter of fact, it will get more difficult by the day and many will become discouraged in standing up against corruption.”

“…Over the years, massive public resources and assets have been directly stolen, diverted, deliberately misapplied to gratify corrupt tendencies, stashed in foreign jurisdictions or mired in and susceptible to pilferage by the inequitable and unjust international economic system that continues to undermine the social and economic development aspirations of poor countries, especially from Africa.”

“Without effectively combating corruption and IFFs (Illicit Financial Flows) and promoting international cooperation for asset recovery and asset return, Africa cannot achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Goal 16 of the SDGs is devoted to corruption.”

“Our experience in Nigeria, as in other developing countries, is that anonymous corporate ownership covers a multitude of sins, including conflict of interests, corruption, tax evasion, money laundering, and even terrorism financing.”

Mr Osinbajo, however, said the current administration had given anti-corruption agencies the will to operate independently in carrying out their activities without government interference.

He disclosed that to win the war against corruption, the country “must protect, even more, whistle-blowers – persons who come forward with information against corruption.”

“We must protect those who are ready to fight against corruption and who are prepared to do so without necessarily disclosing their identities and even those who are ready to disclose their identities.

“We must make corruption expensive for those who engage in it and send the unequivocal message that corruption simply does not pay.

“It is the unenviable but noble task of the ICPC and other anti-corruption agencies to make corruption unattractive to its disciples and facilitate new approaches to stemming IFFS and promoting asset recovery and return.”

“The thing that we must take note of is that corruption fights back. And it is fighting back and it has the resources to do so.”

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