A week ago, the news of how a police helicopter crashed in Bauchi broke out with six human beings onboard.
The good news was that while no life was lost, the accident however exposed a clash of statutory functions between two government agencies. This time around, a clash of statutory responsibility between the Nigeria Police and the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB).
The accident involving a Bell helicopter with registration number 5N-MDA owned and operated by the Nigerian police crashed in Bauchi according to the AIB report.
AIB said the bureau “was notified by Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) about an accident involving a Bell 429 helicopter with Registration Marks 5N-MDA owned and operated by Nigerian Police Force (NPF). The accident occurred on 26th January 2022 around 7:30 pm (Local Time) at Bauchi Airport. The NPF helicopter had departed Abuja at 16:54 UTC for Bauchi with Six persons onboard maintaining 5,500ft
According to the AIB, “There were some injuries but no fatalities.”
Not quite long when the news got into the public domain that the Nigerian police through its spokesperson, Frank Mba issued a counter statement contradicting the position of AIB.
In Mba’s words: “The Nigeria Police Helicopter, Bell 429 5NMDA, flying from Abuja to Bauchi on Wednesday, January 26, 2022, was involved in a controlled safe landing at the Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa International Airport, Bauchi.
“The aircraft did not crash as being reported in some sections of the media and none of the occupants sustained any injury whatsoever. All six (6) on board including the pilot and co-pilot are in good condition.”
Without doubt, the positions of the two establishments contradicted each other that ordinary lame man on the street started asking questions about who and what to believe.
IN CASE YOU MISSED THESE FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
- ‘Officials initially offered to help but when the number of able-bodied citizens at the centre increased, they left us unattended to’
- Why Ogun Tops List Of ‘Yahoo Boys’ In Nigeria ― Governor Abiodun
- Police, Amotekun after criminals on Lagos-Ibadan expressway
- Suspected cannibal pays N500,000 for boy’s human organs, says ‘that’s my favourite meal, especially the throat’
- Court awards Nnamdi Kanu N1 billion over invasion of his home by military, asks FG to apologise
Rather than accept that the chopper crashed, the police said the helicopter was involved in “a controlled safe landing” also referred to in aviation circle as a Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT).
For the fact that a plane or chopper is involved in a controlled safe landing does not remove the fact that it can suffer accident as witnessed in some previous aviation accident investigations where lives were lost.
While the police may have tried to convince the layman on the street with its ‘controlled safe landing’ position, key professionals in aviation knew the chopper was actually involved in a crash going by the position of the AIB as the only statutory body empowered to investigate such issues.
The AIB has the final say as the national authority on Nigeria’s registered aircraft accident investigation.
Though the police may have the authority on what constitutes road accident, but definitely not air accident. In other words, perhaps because the police thought since no life was lost, it did not constitute accident even when it reported that the rotor of the helicopter was broken which was more of accident than a serious incident.
While thanking God that there was no life lost, the lesson to be learnt in all this is that it is only the AIB that has the right to announce when accidents or incidents occur as it is the practice in normal climes.
Without doubt, in view of the records of AIB. regarding crashes investigations in the past years, the bureau has left no one in doubt about its competency.
Under the present AIB leadership, the image of the country has been shored up in the comity of nations as seen in the numbers of other countries inviting it to help in accident investigations.
Therefore, the rush by the police to counter the position of AIB on the chopper crash was capable of sending wrong signals to the outside world about the integrity of the bureau.
At this juncture, Crucial Moment is appealing to all other agencies of government to limit their functions to their statutory jurisdiction without creating confusion in the system.
and then