The family of Mr. Boris Ledum Ndorbu, a victim of the ill-fated Sikorsky SK76 Helicopter crash, is demanding the release of his corpse for proper burial. His son, Ledum Light, described the news of his father’s passing as “shocking and devastating,” especially since they had spoken just hours before the incident.
The helicopter, operated by East Wind Aviation, crashed on Thursday, October 24, with eight people on board, including Mr. Ndorbu, who worked for Arion Energy, a subsidiary of the NNPC. The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) reported that three bodies were recovered initially, with an additional headless body found later, bringing the total to four.
However, the family claims they have not received any updates on the recovery of Mr. Ndorbu’s body. Ledum Light expressed frustration that the family has been kept in the dark, saying,
“We want everybody to help us recover his body, whether dead or alive.” His mother, Mrs. Mbet Ledum, also pleaded for assistance in recovering her husband’s body, stating, “We just want to see him. That is our priority for now.”
The NUPENG Chairman, Harold Gift Ntem, accused the management of East Wind Aviation of negligence and failure to provide a safe flight for its workers. He also corrected earlier reports that the incident occurred in Bonny River, stating it happened in the Gulf of Guinea, OML-123 Antan FPSO Nium Adom.
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The NSIB is working with a joint search, rescue, and recovery team to ensure a thorough and efficient recovery process. The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, confirmed the recovery of an additional body, and the NSIB stated that Eastwind Aviation has been contacted to arrange an air ambulance to transport the body on Monday morning.
Ledum Light shared his last conversation with his father, saying,
“I sent something home for him, and he called me to confirm that it had been delivered. We communicated around 7, 6:30, and 8 am that Thursday. We had a brief communication because I was preparing to go outside, so we just communicated very briefly, and he told me that they were at the muster point heading to the naval base to go off to work.”
Mrs. Mbet Ledum described the incident as shocking, saying,
“We were weak.” She added, “The way we are now, we don’t know what is happening. We just want to see him. That is our priority for now.”
Harold Gift Ntem demanded that the company take responsibility for the incident, stating,
“Our eyes are filled with tears, traumas of the memories of our loved ones, family members, fathers, resource persons, engineers, and doctors, electricians, people who left their house to look for bread for their families could not return back home.”
The Director General of the NSIB, Capt Alex Badeh, expressed appreciation for the joint support, saying,
“We are grateful for the coordinated support of national and international partners working alongside us in this challenging environment. Our thoughts remain with the families of those affected, and we are dedicated to gathering the essential information to provide clarity and closure.”
