BREAKING: HELICOPTER CRASH-LANDS IN IGBOKODA, ONDO
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By: Fasasi Hammad
A helicopter has crashed in Igbokoda, headquarters of Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, Southwest Nigeria, according to the police.
The number of people on board and whether there were any fatalities or injuries remain unclear as of the time of filing this report.
The crash has triggered panic in the coastal community, with emergency responders and security personnel deployed to the area.
Authorities have yet to disclose the identity of the helicopter’s owner or operator.
A resident, Olorunlola Oluwafemi, told the BBC that heavy rain was falling when residents heard what sounded like a loud thunderclap.
He said residents later realised the sound was not thunder and went outside, where they saw what appeared to be an aircraft.
“We came outside and discovered that it was something that looked like a jet,” he said, adding that smoke was seen rising from the area where the aircraft crashed.
According to Oluwafemi, the helicopter came down near a forest close to a Nigerian Navy base known as the Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Igbokoda.
The Nigerian Navy and other security agencies have been deployed to the scene, where search and rescue operations are reportedly ongoing.
The incident comes amid a series of helicopter and aircraft accidents recorded in Nigeria in recent years.
In October 2024, a Sikorsky SK76 helicopter operated by Eastwind Aviation and chartered by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near Bonny Finima, Port Harcourt, killing eight people.
In December 2023, a Nigerian Air Force helicopter crashed in Port Harcourt, leaving all crew members injured.
In August 2023, a Nigerian Air Force aircraft crashed in a village in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State while travelling from Kaduna to Minna.
Another Nigerian Air Force training aircraft crashed in Benue State in July 2023. Although no death was recorded, the two pilots on board were hospitalised.
Earlier, on February 6, 2023, a maritime patrol aircraft crash-landed in Lagos during a routine flight after losing its tyres while attempting to land at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport.
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