The governor of Nigeria 's Kaduna state and a former national security
adviser were among six killed when a helicopter crashed in the
southerly oil-producing Bayelsa state on Saturday, the ruling
political party and emergency services said.
The helicopter wobbled in the sky before nose-diving into a forest in
Ogbia Creek at around 3:30 p.m. (0930 ET), a local resident who
witnessed the crash told Reuters.
"By the time we got to the scene it was in flames," said Hitler
Adunion , a local community leader.
"We tried to put them out but it was difficult. We saw the roasted
bodies of those inside," he added.
The Nigerian Navy confirmed that its Agusta helicopter had crashed
while carrying VIPs to Port Harcourt.
The National Emergency Management Agency said it had recovered the
dead bodies of six passengers on board.
Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa won a tight vote last year to become Kaduna
state's first Christian governor under the ruling People's Democratic
Party (PDP) ticket. He replaced Namadi Sambo, who is now vice
president.
"Our great party is shocked beyond imagination and no words can
adequately give expression to the depth of our grief," a PDP statement
said, confirming the governor's death.
The 36 state governors are among the most powerful politicians in
Nigeria , Africa's biggest oil producer, often controlling budgets
bigger than those of many African countries.
The PDP statement also said that General Owoye Azazi, a former
national security adviser, had been killed in the crash along with
"other prominent Nigerians".
Azazi had been a close adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan but was
sacked this year as Nigeria struggled to cope with an Islamist
insurgency in the north.
Several high-profile politicians had traveled toBayelsa, Jonathan's
home state, this weekend for a funeral, local residents said.
Jonathan himself was not in Bayelsa at the time of the crash, the
presidency said.
Like many African countries, Nigeria has a poor air safety record.
Nigeria's deputy police chief and three other officers were killed
when a helicopter crashed in the central city of Jos in March.
In June, a passenger plane crashed into a densely populated part of
Lagos, Nigeria's commercial hub, killing 163 people.
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