Relatives of Mr. Boris Ledum Ndorbu, a worker with Arion Energy under NNPC, have called for the recovery of his remains following a tragic helicopter crash involving an East Wind Aviation Sikorsky SK76 helicopter.
The crash, which occurred last Thursday in the Gulf of Guinea, claimed the lives of multiple crew members, leaving families devastated and calling for answers from authorities and the company involved.
Ledum’s son, Mr. Ledum Light, described the news of his father’s death as “shocking and devastating,” noting that his father had been in good health when they last spoke on the morning of the incident. The family, he said, is now left in the dark with limited information on the recovery efforts, as they await the return of their loved one’s body for a proper burial.
“It’s heartbreaking that we’ve only been informed of partial recoveries,” Light said, expressing frustration over what he described as “inadequate search efforts.” He added that family members were informed only three bodies had been recovered so far, and his father’s was not among them. Ledum’s wife, Mrs. Mbet Ledum, echoed her son’s sentiments, stating, “All we want is to see him back, dead or alive.”
The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) confirmed that four bodies had been recovered as of Sunday, with one headless body among them, complicating identification efforts. The crash, initially misreported as occurring near Bonny Island, was clarified by the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) to have taken place five minutes from the FPSO Nium Antan Oil Mining Lease (OML-123) helipad, near Nigeria’s maritime boundary with Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon.
Harold Gift Ntem, NUPENG Chairman of the FPSO Nium Antan Oil Mining Lease, criticised the lack of safety measures, stating, “This tragedy should be a wake-up call. Management must be held accountable for not providing a safe, reliable flight for its workers.” The union further noted the trauma experienced by the families of the victims, who were only trying to make an honest living but were met with fatal consequences.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, confirmed the fourth recovery on his social media account, while NSIB’s Director General, Capt. Alex Badeh, commended the collaborative efforts of national and international search teams. “Our thoughts remain with the affected families,” Badeh stated, “and we are fully committed to ensuring a thorough investigation for clarity and closure.”
Families of the victims and union members continue to push for an expedited recovery process and urge the authorities to improve safety protocols to prevent such tragedies in the future. As the recovery efforts continue, the NSIB and supporting agencies remain engaged in gathering evidence to complete the investigation.
