Crashed Helicopter: NAMA Enlists Cameroon’s Help Over Missing Bodies
The Nigeria Air Management Agency had enlisted neighbouring countries such as Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea in the search for the missing crashed helicopter and other passengers still missing.
As of the time of the crash on Thursday, eight persons were onboard but three lifeless bodies were retrieved from the Atlantic Ocean where the chopper ditched. Two others were later recovered on Friday, putting the number of recovered bodies at five.
Search operations have continued, but efforts to get either the aircraft or other victims from the ocean have not been fruitful.
The military, National Emergency Management Agency and emergency locators jointly started the search operations for the passengers of the helicopter immediately after the unfortunate incident occurred.
The aircraft was conveying workers of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, confirmed the unfortunate incident through a statement signed by the Head of Press and Public Relations of the ministry, Odutayo Oluseyi.
However, the identities of the six Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited employees who lost their lives in a helicopter crash on Thursday have been disclosed.
The electronic manifest of the flight, which revealed the names of the workers as Tamunoemi Suku, Alu Lawrence, Etim Emmanuel, Kenneth Chikwem, Frank Oriamre, and Borris Ndorbo.
The pilot was identified as Captain Yakubu Dukas, while the eighth person aboard had yet to be identified as of press time.
The helicopter, operated by East Winds Aviation, was transporting contract staff to the FPSO—NUIMS ANTAN facility when it tragically crashed into the Atlantic Ocean.
The tragedy occurred off the coast of Bonny Finima in Port Harcourt on Thursday.
In response to the incident, President Bola Tinubu extended condolences to the families of the victims and ordered an intensification of search and rescue operations.
Five of the victims have been recovered dead, while the remains of the remaining three occupants are still missing.
In the wake of this disaster, it was gathered some details about five of the victims on social media.
Captain Yakubu Dukas
The National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers while expressing profound sorrow over the loss of Dukas, described him as a seasoned pilot with over 20 years of experience.
Dukas was also said to have served as the vice president of the union.
Relatives and friends of the deceased took to social media to share their grief, with Thandazile Artemis mourning, “Captain Yakubu Dukas, my sweetest Uncle Yaks. This isn’t how it was meant to be.”
A Twitter user, @vanniebee, wrote, “Captain Yakubu Dukas! I’m in shock and may never recover from this.”
Tamunoemi Suku
Tamunoemi Suku, a medical doctor and graduate of Obafemi Awolowo University, described himself on Facebook as “gentle and highly principled.”
Hailing from Kalabari, Rivers State, he attended Enitona High School in Port Harcourt before pursuing his medical studies.
Suku’s Facebook presence is minimal, with his birthday on November 13 being one of the few events he celebrated online.
He married Laura Emi-Suku, an entrepreneur, on April 18, 2015, and they lived together in Port Harcourt. Friends paid tributes to him online, with Charity Eberechukwu Onuh stating, “What a great loss. Oh my God! Rest in Peace.”
Lawrence Alu
Known as “Fly Guy” on Facebook, Lawrence Alu hailed from Abbi, Rivers State, and resided in Lagos.
He studied at the Regional Maritime Academy in Accra, Ghana.
His relative, Innocent Ibeyenwo, expressed sorrow over his death on Facebook, saying, “My brother Lawrence Alu, it’s so painful to hear you were among those involved in the helicopter crash. May God grant your family the strength to bear this loss.”
Another user, Taiwo Omotuyine, reflected on their time together, stating, “The law is gone; he was my colleague.”
Frank Oriamre
Originally from Edo State, Frank Oriamre maintained a sparse social media presence, with only two posts: one depicting him in a yellow overall next to a Christmas tree and another featuring colleagues he referred to as part of his production crew.
Borris Ndorbo
A graduate of Rivers State University, Borris Ndorbo lived in Port Harcourt with his wife. He had been employed in the floating production, storage, and offloading sector since August 28, 2023.
His social media activity was minimal, with his last post being a selfie taken in a helicopter along with a nostalgic photo captioned, “Good friends. Just something important to remember.”
