馃嚦馃嚞NigeriaWest Africa
Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau recovers flight recorders from private aircraft involved in Asaba roadway landing
via Punch Nigeria2 min read
The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau NSIB has recovered the Cockpit Voice Recorder and Flight Data Recorder from a private aircraft, a Bombardier Challenger CL-601 with registration number N989BC, operated by VMO Aero Limited. The aircraft was involved in an incident on Wednesday when it landed on a roadway near Asaba, Delta State, during a flight from Lagos, and subsequently departed without regulatory approval. The NSIB activated its emergency response procedures and dispatched an investigative "Go Team" to the site. The recovered flight recorders will be analyzed to establish the circumstances and the aircraft鈥檚 performance. Investigators are also collecting operational, maintenance, and air traffic control records and coordinating with stakeholders. NSIB Director-General, Capt Alex Badeh Jr., stated that the swift recovery of the recorders is critical to determining the facts and expressed relief that there were no reported fatalities or serious injuries. The NSIB aims to determine the circumstances and contributing factors to issue safety recommendations and prevent recurrence, emphasizing that the investigation does not seek to apportion blame or determine liability. The bureau has appealed to the public for any relevant information, including photographs, videos, or CCTV footage.
Free daily or weekly digest of the most important stories from across 18 African countries. No spam, unsubscribe any time.
This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by Punch Nigeria.
Must ReadPresident Bola Tinubu, in his Democracy Day address, declared that his administration would show no mercy to those who finance terrorism and enable violence against Nigerians. He issued an ultimatum to bandits, kidnappers, and terror sponsors to surrender or face the full force of the Nigerian state, noting that over 13,000 terrorists had been neutralized in the past year. Despite a significant decline in terror-related deaths since 2015, the President acknowledged that the continued captivity of schoolchildren in Oyo and Borno states dampened the celebration. Tinubu highlighted increased security allocations in the 2026 budget and the approval for recruiting over 50,000 new police officers and thousands of military personnel to address security demands. He urged national unity against criminality, rejecting ethnic or religious framing. Addressing the power sector, Tinubu detailed reforms including the Electricity Act, a N4tn bond to settle debts, and efforts to deploy off-grid power. Economically, he reported increased federation revenues, improved fiscal transparency, and growth in non-oil exports, while acknowledging persistent hardship and committing to reducing inflation, expanding food production, and creating jobs.
Must ReadGlobal refugee numbers decreased by three percent to 41.6 million in 2025, marking the first decline in a decade, according to the Global Trends Report released by the UN Refugee Agency UNCHR. UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric announced this development, noting that while the numbers remain high, 5.4 million people fled violence and persecution in 2025. The report also highlights a significant increase in returns, with 14.7 million displaced individuals returning to their home areas or countries, particularly in Afghanistan, Sudan, and Syria. Refugee returns in 2025 were the second highest in 60 years, though many occurred under pressure and to precarious conditions. UN High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih called for international support for a new initiative aimed at reducing the number of refugees in long-term displacement reliant on humanitarian aid by more than half over the next decade. The report also indicated a sharp drop in resettlement, with arrivals falling by over half to 81,800 in 2025. Over 70 percent of refugees originated from Afghanistan, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, and Venezuela, with Colombia, Germany, and T眉rkiye being the largest host countries. Salih emphasized that asylum and protection are lifesaving and essential for rebuilding lives.
An official from the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources has refuted claims that locally produced cooking gas LPG is being exported, stating that a ban on LPG exports remains in effect. This clarification follows concerns from cooking gas retailers, including the Chairman of the Liquefied Petroleum Gas Retailers Association, Ayobami Olarinoye, who reported persistent scarcity and high prices, attributing them partly to alleged exports by a local refinery. Louis Ibah, spokesman for the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources Gas, Dr. Ekperikpe Ekpo, confirmed to The PUNCH that the export restriction is enforced by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority NMDPRA to stabilize prices and ensure product availability for Nigerians. Olarinoye described the current situation as "excruciatingly difficult" for retailers to access products and called for government incentives to attract more investors to the LPG market. A source at the NMDPRA indicated that the regulator is collaborating with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and other stakeholders to boost local availability, with a new Seplat gas facility expected to begin LPG supply by July. Meanwhile, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources Gas Ekperikpe Ekpo emphasized the need to translate Nigeria's vast gas reserves into accessible energy for households and industries, highlighting infrastructure gaps and weak distribution networks as major obstacles. Speaking at the Association o