Family members of Boris Ledum Ndorbu, a worker with Arion Energy, a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), are demanding the return of his body for a proper burial following last Thursday’s tragic helicopter crash.
The Sikorsky SK76 helicopter, operated by East Wind Aviation, went down in the Gulf of Guinea, resulting in multiple fatalities.
In a conversation with Punch in Port Harcourt, Ledum Light, son of the deceased, expressed deep sorrow over the loss of his father, describing the news as shocking and devastating for the family.
The helicopter, which was transporting NNPC workers, crashed on Thursday, and early reports indicated that three bodies had been recovered from the wreckage. However, on Sunday, the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau clarified that only two bodies had been retrieved from the ocean.
A spokesperson for the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) noted that one headless body, presumed to be a victim of the crash, was found floating in the Gulf of Guinea, contradicting initial reports that the accident had occurred near Bonny in Rivers State.
Light, while fighting back tears in an interview with Punch, said, “My father was one of the crew members who were on their way to work. I got the information from his employer as they called to disclose the information to us that Thursday afternoon, about 3 pm.
“It was very shocking and devastating because I spoke with my dad that morning and he was in good health. He was very sound and he was hale and hearty and there was no sign of such coming at all.”
He said after the earlier call from the company informing them of the incident, no other information had been received, saying the family had been kept in the dark.
He said, “As at this moment, from the information we have gotten, they are yet to recover their bodies. So far, we’ve been made to understand that only three bodies have been recovered and that of my dad wasn’t among the three that have been recovered.”
While noting that his father is a member of NUPENG, he said the family was communicating with NUPENG and a sister union, saying, “From their information so far, they said I think it was divers that have been deployed so far.
“To the best of our knowledge, no serious effort has been put in place because I think it’s just divers that were deployed and we’re sure that there are other infrastructures that have been put in place, deployed onboard the sea to aid in the search process alongside the divers that were deployed.”
He further said though his father left home on Monday, it was only on Thursday that he travelled.
“He has been shuttling from the hotel to the naval base to secure his flight to work, so he didn’t leave the house.
“He has been shuttling from the hotel to the naval base until I think it was that Thursday they were able to have gotten them on board the helicopter. So from the hotel, they left for the naval base.
“We communicated that morning because I sent something home for him and he called me to confirm that the thing had been delivered home for him.
“We communicated around 7, 6:30, and 8 am that Thursday. We had a brief communication because I was preparing to go outside so we just communicated very briefly and he told me that they were at the muster point heading to the naval base to go off to work.
“At this point, basically and primarily, all that we’re after is for the bodies to be recovered, because that’s the most important thing,” he stated
He added, “It’s so dear to us and we only want to see him, we only want to have him back. So, we’re calling on all relevant authorities to please do the best within their reach, within their confines to ensure that anything that has to be done is done to recover back the body because that’s what’s most precious to us at this point, that’s what will console us at this point.”
The wife, Mrs Mbet Ledum, described the incident as shocking, saying all the family wanted was to see their breadwinners dead or alive.
The distraught woman stated, “It was devastating when we received the news and the information was shocking. We were weak.”
When asked if she had been contacted after the initial information to break the news, she answered in the negative.
“We want everybody to help us recover his body, whether dead or alive. He told us he was going to work, so we wanted to see him back home.
“The way we are now, we don’t know what is happening. We just want to see him. That is our priority for now. We want to see him,” she said while fighting back tears.
