There is palpable controversy on the actual number of crew members and passengers on board the Airfirst Hospitality and Tour Ltd light aircraft which dramatically crashed on a Lagos road yesterday.

Investigation by CITY LAWYER shows that three crucial government agencies involved in the rescue and investigation efforts gave conflicting figures on the actual number of crew and passengers on board the ill-fated aircraft.

While the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) stated on its verified Twitter handle that “Two crew members and two passengers rescued,” the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) reportedly told CHANNELS TV that “four persons including the pilot were on board the ill-fated aircraft and they were all rescued alive and taken to a nearby hospital.”

But the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) countered both NEMA and LASEMA, saying that only “two souls” were on board.

Said NEMA: “Fixed wing Aircraft Reg 5NCCQ Airfirst Hospitality and Tour Ltd crashed near Lagos Airport. Following the incident, NEMA, LASEMA, Fire Service, security Agencies and other stakeholders carried out search and rescue operation. Two crew members and two passengers rescued.”

But in a statement by its spokesman Tunji Oketunbi, NSIB (formerly Accident Investigation Bureau) said: “The two souls on board were taken to the hospital.”

The statement added: “The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has been notified and commenced investigation into an accident involving a Jabiru J430, a light single airplane with Nationality and Registration Marks 5N-CCQ operated by Air First Hospitality & Tours, which occurred around a little after 1500hrs local time on August 1, 2023.

“The aircraft was on a test flight within Lagos with two passengers onboard, before it crashed around Oba Akran area of Lagos State with no fatalities. The aircraft caught fire on impact but the spread was contained by the rainfall at the time of impact.”

The bureau urged information on the air crash, saying: “The NSIB, hereby, solicits information from the general public in form of pictures, video or recording evidences to assist in conducting a comprehensive investigation.

“The Bureau can be reached through info@aib.gov.ng and NSIB_Nigeria on its social media platforms. The Bureau can also be reached on its emergency line +234-807-709-0909.”

However, NEMA’s Acting Coordinator for South-West Zonal Office, Ibrahim Farinloye contradicted his agency when he told reporters that “There were two people on board. The control tower confirmed that there were only two people on board, not four.”

CITY LAWYER gathered that the aircraft is a South African-made propeller plane.

To join our CITY LAWYER ROUNDTABLE on WhatsApp, click here 

To join our Telegram platform, click here 

COPYRIGHT 2022 CITY LAWYER. Please send emails to citylawyermag@gmail.com. Join us on Facebook at https://web.facebook.com/City-Lawyer-Magazine-434937936684320 and on TWITTER at https://twitter.com/CityLawyerMag. To ADVERTISE in CITY LAWYER, please email citylawyermag@gmail.com or call 08138380083.

All materials available on this Website are protected by copyright, trade mark and other proprietary and intellectual property laws. You may not use any of our intellectual property rights without our express written consent or attribution to www.citylawyermag.com. However, you are permitted to print or save to your individual PC, tablet or storage extracts from this Website for your own personal non-commercial use.