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Claim: Video from Herbert Wigwe’s helicopter crash scene.
Verdict: Misleading. The footage was shot at a private jet crash that coincidentally happened in Florida hours before Mr Wigwe’s helicopter crash.
Full Text
On Feb 10, 2024, The New York Times reported an incident involving a helicopter crash near the California-Nevada border in the United States. Among the casualties were Herbert Wigwe, a prominent banker and the Chief Executive Officer of Access Holdings Plc, his wife Chizoba Wigwe, and his son Chizi Wigwe.
In Nigeria, the mourning has extended to Abimbola Ogunbajo, the former Group Chairman of the Nigerian Exchange Group Plc, who was also on board. Following this incident, a video has emanated on Facebook, claiming to capture the crash scene. The clip, while showing a burning aircraft by the roadside, was captioned: “Video of tragic helicopter crash that killed Herbert Wigwe, his wife, son, daughter and Nigerian Exchange Group PLC, Abimbola Ogunbanjo.”
DUBAWA has observed the rapid spread of false information on social media, particularly during tragic events. A short while back, we found ourselves dispelling a series of assertions in the aftermath of a blast in Ibadan, Oyo state. Is this possibly a comparable scenario?
Verification
First of all, media reports stated that Mr Wigwe, along with his wife and son, lost their lives in the crash. However, the post’s claim of his daughter’s involvement was not corroborated. Next, we noticed a small aeroplane in flames instead of a helicopter, as purported.
DUBAWA conducted keyword searches, and the results linked the original video to an incident that coincidentally occurred on Feb 9, 2024 – some hours before Mr Wigwe’s helicopter crash.
According to Reuters, this particular incident involved a private jet with five individuals on board. The jet crash landed on a “busy Florida highway,” colliding with two vehicles and resulting in the death of two people. The “Bombardier Challenger 600 business jet,” en route from Ohio to Naples Airport, crashed following an engine failure.
“Video and photos from the scene showed the aircraft engulfed in flames and smoke after it crash-landed on Interstate 75 near Naples, on southwestern Florida’s Gulf Coast, and came to rest beside a roadside retaining wall,” the report reads.
DUBAWA also obtained a statement from the US Federal Aviation (FAA) confirming the incident.
Conclusion
Evidently, the circulating video did not depict the moment of Wigwe’s helicopter crash. The claim is misleading.
