The operators of the helicopter that claimed the life of former Group Chief Executive Officer of Access Holdings Plc, Herbert Wigwe, alongside his wife, son, and three others in February 2024, may soon face criminal charges in the United States, aviation industry operators and experts have confirmed.

The helicopter, an Airbus EC130B4 operated by Orbic Air, LLC, under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135, crashed near Halloran Springs, California, on February 9, 2024.

On board were Wigwe, his wife, Doreen, their first son, Chizi, and former NGX Group Chairman, Abimbola Ogunbanjo, along with two pilots, all of whom died in the crash.

A final report by the US National Transportation Safety Board cited “pilot disorientation” and a violation of flight protocols, especially the decision to proceed under visual flight rules in instrument meteorological conditions, as key causes of the crash.

Additionally, a faulty radar altimeter, which had been flagged during a repositioning flight earlier that day, was noted as another potential contributor to the tragedy.

Aviation professionals in Nigeria now assert that the US government is likely to pursue charges of criminal negligence against Orbic Air before a judicial panel of inquiry.

The panel would review the case and determine the extent of liability and also the extent of punishment applicable to the helicopter company.

Speaking to The PUNCH, Capt Muhammed Badamasi, a retired pilot with the defunct Nigeria Airways, said the matter was already a legal one, noting the state as the plaintiff and the helicopter company as the defendant.

He said, “It’s already a legal matter. The panel of inquiry will determine whether the crash and the resultant deaths were due to a breach of the company’s safety protocols. If so, it becomes a judicial issue, and charges may follow.”

Badamasi emphasised that any legal process would be handled in the US, noting that agencies such as the Federal Aviation Administration,  National Transportation Safety Board, and representatives from the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority and Nigeria Safety Investigation Bureau may be involved as interested parties.

Badamosi emphasised that as legal scrutiny intensifies, the case may become a watershed moment for regulatory enforcement in private charter operations, both in the US and internationally.

Echoing similar views, a retired pilot and current Managing Director of Aero Contractors, Capt Ado Sanusi, said the prosecution will be done by the state after the accident investigation body submits the root cause of the unfortunate incident.

He said, “Once the investigation report is out, the next step lies with the appropriate legal authorities. If negligence is established, it is within their jurisdiction to act accordingly. The role of the aviation industry ends with identifying the cause.”

Sanusi added that the appropriate agency of the state is expected to take up the matter, “but I know that their laws will be considered as appropriate.”

The NTSB’s report detailed how, hours before the fatal flight, a malfunction in the radar altimeter was observed during a transfer from a maintenance facility.

Despite the safety concern, the aircraft proceeded with the passenger flight later that day and ended the lives of six people.

Another industry expert, Chris Aligbe, noted that the matter will be prosecuted under American laws, adding that issues of negligence are no longer handled with levity in the aviation industry globally.

He said, “Before now, issues like this happened and the masterminds got away with it, but not anymore, things are changing. The root cause will be determined and prosecuted in accordance with the law of the land.”

A power outage hit several areas of the Spanish island of La Palma in the Canary Islands on Thursday, the local council said in a post on the social media platform X.

Early reports suggested that a third of La Palma had been left without electricity, impacting around 30,000 people. The council urged everyone to remain calm and avoid overwhelming emergency services.

The island was not affected by the massive blackout that hit most of Spain and Portugal on April 28.

Spain has asked its own investigators and European Union regulators to investigate the cause of the outage, but whatever the findings, analysts and industry representatives say infrastructure investment is essential.

"The blackout was a wake-up call. It showed that the need to modernise and reinforce Europe’s electricity grid is urgent and unavoidable," Kristina Ruby, secretary general at Eurelectric, Europe's electricity industry association, said.

The European Union's power grid mostly dates back to the last century and half the lines are over 40 years old.

Rising low-carbon energy production and booming demand from data centres and electric vehicles require an overhaul of the grids that also need digital protection to withstand cyber attacks.

Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates has announced that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will shut down in 2045, following the planned donation of 99% of his remaining $107 billion wealth.

In an exclusive interview with the Associated Press, Gates said the decision will allow the foundation to spend an additional $200 billion over the next 20 years, accelerating its global work in health, poverty alleviation, and education.

“I think 20 years is the right balance between giving as much as we can to make progress on these things and giving people a lot of notice that now this money will be gone,” Gates said.

Historic Philanthropy

Gates’ pledge ranks as one of the largest philanthropic commitments in history, surpassing donations made by John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie.

Since its founding in 2000, the foundation has already spent $100 billion on critical global initiatives including:

• Creating Gavi, the vaccine alliance
• Supporting the Global Fund to fight HIV, TB, and malaria
• Funding sanitation, education, and disease research

The foundation’s funding has come largely from Gates’ Microsoft wealth and fellow billionaire Warren Buffett, who has contributed 41% of the total funds.

Gates described the foundation as his “second and final career”, stating that the impact of their work in underserved countries has deeply shaped his mission.

Gates also urged other billionaires to step up.

He said: “I’d love to be beat in all of this work. Somebody should try and pay more taxes than I did, save more lives than I did, and give more money than I did.”

The 2045 wind-down will be gradual, with continued investment in scientific innovation, healthcare access, and education for low- and middle-income countries.

Nigeria has paid back all its outstanding debts owed to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and exited the list of debtors to the organization.

Naija News reports that as of 2023, Nigeria’s IMF debt stood at $1.61 billion. However, through a repayment plan initiated by the administration of President Bola Tinubu, the debt steadily declined, reaching $472 million by January 2025, and has now been fully paid off as of May 2025.

This development was confirmed in the latest report from the IMF website, which shows Nigeria is no longer included on the list of nations indebted to the IMF.

The debt-free status of Nigeria was also confirmed by the Senior Special Assistant to President Tinubu on Digital Engagement and Strategy, O’tega Ogra, via a statement released on his ? account.

In the statement, Ogra confirmed that Nigeria has officially cleared all its legacy debt with the IMF.

The presidential aide added that the development is a signal of discipline, reform, and strategic reset by the Tinubu-Shettima administration in restructuring Nigeria’s finances.

He wrote, “Remember my Easter Special, in which I spoke about our improved debt management and financial restructuring, which has given us the capacity to invest more in sustainable infrastructure and policies? Yes, there is an update.

“According to the latest data on the International Monetary Fund Website as of today, May 6, 2025, Nigeria has officially cleared all its legacy debt with the IMF.

“It is a signal of discipline, reform, and strategic reset by the Tinubu-Shettima administration in restructuring our finances to enable us to be better placed for a prosperous future

“As Nigeria closes the chapter on these legacy debt obligations, we are better placed to strengthen our fiscal credibility and show the world, and ourselves, that Nigeria is serious about managing our economy with responsibility and vision.”

Ogra was also quick to clarify that despite offsetting the loans, Nigeria remains a member of the IMF.

“Nigeria still remains a member of the IMF and can approach it at any time if the situation demands. This is definitely not a door slammed shut,” he added.

Nigerian Afrobeats singer, Tiwa Savage, has sparked dating speculations with American singer, Usher Raymond after the duo were captured doing the 30-second challenge in London.

Naija News reports that Usher brought Tiwa Savage out as a surprise guest at his ‘Past Present Future’ tour stop at London’s O2 Arena on Wednesday night, and the crowd went wild after he brought the sensational singer to perform her hit song, ‘Somebody’s Son’.

At the afterparty, the duo were captured doing the 30-second challenge, a clip of which has now gone viral.

Usher Raymond challenged Savage to freestyle for 30 seconds, and during her freestyle, she spoke about the singer having feelings for her.

She freestyled, “I’m a little drunk! But it’s alright. I think I’m drunk enough, I think I’m drunk enough. Are you drunk enough? Usher, are you drunk enough? Listen, he loves me,” amid cheers from the crowd.”

Recall that Usher first brought Tiwa Savage to perform with him on stage during his headline performance at the Global Citizen Festival in Accra, Ghana, in 2022.

However, the duo has yet to officially confirm whether they are dating or not.

Meanwhile, Tiwa Savage recently expressed her opinion about Nigerian men.

Naija News reports that in a recent conversation with GRAM Daily’s ‘Thoughts in a Culli,’ the ‘Koroba’ crooner said Nigerian men have swag but are not romantic.

According to Tiwa Savage, Nigerian men could also be generous, but she is not looking for ‘swag and money.’

President Bola Tinubu on Thursday commended Governor Chukwuma Soludo over various projects completed by his administration in Anambra State.

The president, who is in the state to commission some projects executed by the Soludo administration said the governor has shown the people of the state that he is a solution provider.

Some of the projects assessed and commissioned by the president include the new Anambra State Government House, the Solution Fun City, the New Governor’s Lodge, built for the first time in 34 years, and the revamped House of Assembly, among others.

Speaking while commissioning the Government House, Tinubu said infrastructure is the backbone of development in every nation. 

He also said that the legacy being built by the governor now will last even after Soludo’s time.

Further describing the action of the governor as “environmentally responsive governance”, Tinubu commended Soludo for delivering quality governance to the people of Anambra.

“Anambra is achieving great heights. Building our tomorrow, today. A leader like Governor Chukwuma Soludo is placing Anambra on the path of 21st-century development.

“You are a good thinker, you are a solution provider. We can go places together. Building Nigeria. Building the future. Using technology to build and reflect good governance among the people. Promote investment. We must encourage good governance,” Tinubu stated.

The Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a suit filed by MultiChoice Nigeria, the parent company of DStv and GOtv, challenging the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission’s (FCCPC) intervention in its recent subscription price hike.

Delivering judgement on Thursday, Justice James Omotoso ruled that the suit constituted an abuse of court process as similar proceedings were already pending elsewhere.

He stressed that the plaintiff should have pursued its arguments in that court, rendering the current filing procedurally inappropriate.

Justice Omotoso noted that while the FCCPC has investigative powers under its establishing Act, it lacks the authority to fix or suspend prices unless specifically delegated by the President through a gazetted instrument. No such delegation was presented to the court.

“The power to fix prices is exclusively that of the President. Any decision taken without such delegation is a nullity,” he stated.

He added that Nigeria operates a free market system, and service providers like MultiChoice retain the right to set their prices, with consumers free to accept or reject them.

The judge further ruled that FCCPC’s actions, including directing MultiChoice to suspend its price increase, breached the company’s right to fair hearing and appeared selectively targeted.

He dismissed the FCCPC’s claim that MultiChoice held a dominant market position, calling the argument untenable.

“The use of services like those provided by the plaintiff is discretionary and not essential. Nigeria can do without it,” he added.

He warned that attempts to fix prices by regulatory bodies could scare off investors and harm the economy.

The court held that while the FCCPC may investigate market practices, it cannot impose price controls without proper legal backing.

MultiChoice had increased subscription rates by up to 25% on March 1, 2025, citing inflation and operational cost pressures.

The FCCPC opposed the move and threatened to sanction the firm.

Deputy President of the Senate, Barau Jibrin, has said Nigeria needs a bill to regulate hunters’ activities across the country.

Naija News reports that Senator Jibrin emphasized that hunting remains a traditional part of life across the world.

Seconding a motion to establish a bill to regulate hunters’ activities, moved by Senator Abdulrahman Kawu Sumaila on Tuesday, the Deputy Senate President stated that the Uromi killings would not have happened if such a bill were in place.

“I recalled how the killings of the innocent hunters led to national outrage, cutting across all segments of this country. Everybody, from the South to the West, from the Muslim to the Christian, was worried.

“But then we took solace in the quick responses of the federal government, the state governments and the Senate.

“You will recall that I visited the victims’ families in Kano South Senatorial District and donated N16 million to them.

“I also promised to follow up on this case until the culprits are brought to justice.

“Now, what is important is to ensure that those who committed that heinous act are identified and brought to justice to serve as a deterrent to those who might want to do that in the future.

“The governor of Edo State should be commended for being at the forefront of this effort, working with the police and all the security agencies to apprehend those who committed that heinous crime. That cooled down the tension all over the country.

“For those who don’t know, these hunters are traditional, professional hunters. We have them all over the northern part of the country. They go from place to place to hunt. Once they are able to get animals, they will bring them back and sell them.

“It was on that premise that they went to where they went to hunt, and when they were coming back, the incident happened.

“To address the matter once and for all, I stress the need for us to accelerate the passage of a bill before the Senate intended to regulate the affairs of hunters. We have hunters in every part of the world.

The Defence Ministry on Wednesday said that notorious terrorist leader, Bello Turji has been on the run as a result of sustained offensives by the troops of the Armed Forces of Nigeria in recent time.

The Minister of Defence, Muhammed Badaru stated this during a Ministerial Briefing on the activities of the ministry on Wednesday in Abuja.

He said that troops also killed at least 11 notorious terrorist leaders in recent operations.

The Minister identified some of the terrorists killed as Maza Barume Madaro; Kachalla Alhaji Dati; Bani Wala Burki; Kachalla Dogo Kwaden; Chairman Hanazuma; Kachalla Bandiyo; and Maiyara Madaci.

Others killed include Alhaji Karki; Kachalla Makore; Zakiru and Okachalla Azarailu.

According to him, troops are neutralising the bandits by the day, and the leaders are going down by day. And they are on the run.

“Recently, there has been a renewed impetus to all our operations across the country, translating into commendable achievement, specifically in the Northeast.

“Inspote of the recent short-lived desperation of the terrorists, troops have responded excessively and turned a devastating blow across the theatres,’’ he said.

Badaru assured Nigerians of the commitment of the military to address all the prevailing security challenges, adding that they were doubling their intelligence to nip them in the bud.

He said that Nigeria’s security challenges were deeply rooted in decades-long social and political fractures, economic dislocation, transnational borders influence, and global terrorism metrics that continue to mutate beyond classical military doctrines.