Naval
pilots – Commander Murtala Daba and Lt. Adeyemi Sowole – tried in vain
to land the helicopter which crashed on Saturday at Okoroba community in
Nembe Local Government Area, Bayelsa State.
Governor of Kaduna State, Mr. Patrick Yakowa; the former National
Security Adviser, Gen. Owoye Azazi, and two of their aides died
alongside the two pilots.
Eyewitnesses said the pilots appeared to have sighted a space at the
swampy mangrove, few metres to the crash site, and made some efforts to
land the ill-fated helicopter.
In an unclear circumstance, the helicopter was said to have attempted
going up again but in the process, its blades hit one of the palm trees
surrounding the area and it came crashing.
It was learnt that Yakowa’s mobile telephone was intact as it kept ringing after the crash.
“When we brought the body out, we started hearing sounds of phone ringing from the left side of his pocket.
We later discovered that calls were coming to the telephone and it
could be from concerned persons but no one answered,” a security source,
who pleaded anonymity, said.
Wrecked and burnt parts of the chopper were found littering the area.
The swampy mangrove filled with tall trees and vegetation is located
few kilometers to the Okoroba community, off the Ogbia Nembe waterways.
The personal effects of the deceased had been removed from the scene
and their charred remains evacuated by security operatives and officials
of the National Emergency Management Agency.
An eyewitness, who identified himself as Anthony Marcus, told that a farmer close to the area saw the helicopter as it crashed.
Marcus, who led our correspondent to the crash site, said the farmer
raised the alarm that attracted other villagers to the difficult terrain
“When we got there, there was smoke everywhere. But we saw the legs
of Kaduna State Governor. The legs were not burnt and part of his
traditional attire was intact. We knew him through his attire. But other
bodies were burnt beyond recognition,” he said.
He added, “I was at the burial ceremony when the chopper took off. It didn’t take off normally and it was flying very low.”
But it was learnt that some top military officers recovered the black
boxes of the helicopter to determine the real cause of the tragedy.
It was also learnt that the bodies of the deceased were conveyed to
Ogbia, waterside Saturday night shortly after the rescue team located
the site and moved to the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, under the
cover of darkness.
InformationNigeria.org
Latest
news about the helicopter crash that took the life of governor of
Kaduna State, Patrick Yakowa, former National Security Adviser (NSA)
General Owoye Azazi and four others, has revealed that the husband of
the Minister of State for Defence, Chief (Mrs) Olusola Obada, Chief
Babatunde Obada narrowly missed the ill-fated flight.
Stella
Damasus has attacked her fellow Nollywood actors/actresses, calling
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