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Nigerian bank CEO killed in Mojave Desert helicopter crash in California: 'Irreparable loss'

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Nigerian bank CEO killed in Mojave Desert helicopter crash in California: 'Irreparable loss'

Herbert Wigwe, the CEO of a major Nigerian bank, was one of the six people killed in a Friday night helicopter crash in California’s Mojave Desert, authorities say.

The death of Wigwe, who led Access Bank Group, was confirmed by Nigerian officials on social media, including World Trade Organization Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

Abimbola Ogunbanjo, a former Group Chairman of Nigerian Exchange Group, was also killed in the crash. Nigerian politician Godwin Obaseki reported that Wigwe’s wife and son were among the decedents as well. 

6 PEOPLE PRESUMED DEAD AFTER HELICOPTER CRASHES IN CALIFORNIA’S MOJAVE DESERT EN ROUTE TO LAS VEGAS AREA

The crash happened at around 10 p.m. local time Friday near Nipton, California, which is not far from the California-Nevada border. 

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Herbert Onyewumbu Wigwe speaks onstage at Global Citizen Live, Lagos on Sept. 18, 2021, in Lagos, Nigeria. (Andrew Esiebo/Getty Images for Global Citizen/File)

The helicopter left Palm Springs Airport at around 8:45 p.m. and was on its way to Boulder City, Nevada, which is near Las Vegas. At the time of the crash, rainy and snowy weather was reported in the area.

Multiple American agencies are investigating the crash, including San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, the NTSB and the FAA.

“The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will investigate,” the FAA said to Fox News Digital. “The NTSB will be in charge of the investigation and will provide any updates.”

5 MARINES KILLED IN CALIFORNIA HELICOPTER CRASH ARE IDENTIFIED

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Herbert Onyewumbu Wigwe attends Global Citizen Live, Lagos on Sept. 18, 2021, in Lagos, Nigeria. (Andrew Esiebo/Getty Images for Global Citizen/File)

In a statement, Obaseki, who is Governor of the Edo State, said that he is “extremely shocked and devastated” over Wigwe’s death on X Saturday.

“The tragic incident is painful and heart-wrenching, and we pray for God’s abiding comfort in this profoundly difficult time,” Obaseki wrote. 

“Wigwe was a colossus in Nigeria’s financial sector, leading Access Bank to become an international brand that placed Nigeria on the global map of first-class financial services,” he added. “I commiserate with the Wigwe family, the Ogunbanjo family, Access Bank Holding, the Nigeria Stock Exchange, friends and associates, and pray that God will grant all the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.”

Dusk settles in over the Mojave Desert, about 10 miles north of Nipton, Calif. (Gina Ferazzi /Los Angeles Times via Getty Images/File)

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Fox News Digital reached out to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department and Access Bank Group, but has not heard back.

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San Francisco, CA

Vigil held for 2-year-old girl killed in SF Mission Bay crash

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Vigil held for 2-year-old girl killed in SF Mission Bay crash


Walk SF and Families for Safe Streets held a vigil Monday evening to honor a 2-year-old girl who was struck and killed by a driver Friday night in San Francisco’s Mission Bay neighborhood.

The crash happened just before 9 p.m. at Fourth and Channel streets near Oracle Park. Police said the child’s mother was also injured and taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The driver remained at the scene, and authorities said drugs or alcohol are not believed to be factors.

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Community heartbroken

Community members gathered at the intersection Monday to light candles and lay flowers. Among them was the Howard family.

“We’re just heartbroken and sad,” said Hidelisa Howard.

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“I was thinking about heartbroken parents, someone who cannot get their daughter back,” said John Howard.

The intersection is designated as part of San Francisco’s 2022 High Injury Network, identifying streets with the highest concentration of severe and fatal traffic crashes. Speed cameras were recently installed in the surrounding neighborhood.

Jodie Medeiros, executive director of Walk SF, called the crash a tragedy, noting a previous fatal collision involving a child at Fourth and King streets several years ago.

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Traffic intensifies

Parents in the area said traffic has intensified with nearby events and development.

“We love having people here in the neighborhood, and it’s brought a lot of life to the area,” said Hidelisa Howard, who lives nearby. “But at the same time, we have people coming in from out of the area. They’re not familiar with the streets, they’re running the lights, they’re running the crosswalks.”

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District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey said the intersection has been problematic.

“Sometimes people go too fast. I don’t know that this was the issue here, but we need to do everything we can to make our neighborhoods and our streets safer,” Dorsey said.

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On Monday, crews with the SFMTA repainted crosswalks and re-timed traffic signals at the intersection.

“It just feels like there’s so many young children in this neighborhood that there should be improvements made to the way that the traffic flows around here,” said Aanisha Jain, a San Francisco resident.

 

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Denver, CO

Denver bans federal law enforcement officers from covering their faces, DHS says it won’t comply

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Denver bans federal law enforcement officers from covering their faces, DHS says it won’t comply


Denver city leaders unanimously passed a ban on all officers, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, from wearing face coverings while detaining or arresting people. That law also requires officers to wear visible identification.

It’s the second sweeping ordinance against federal officers in Denver in just a few days. Last Thursday, Mayor Mike Johnston signed an executive order banning federal immigration agents from operating on city property without a judicial warrant.

An federal immigration agent on Feb. 5, 2026 in Minneapolis.

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Stephen Maturen / Getty Images


 It also directs Denver police, deputies and fire personnel to investigate reports of violence and criminal behavior.

The Department of Homeland Security responded calling the executive order “legally illiterate,” adding, “no local official has the authority to bar ICE from carrying out federal law on public property … and while Mayor Johnston continues to release pedophiles, rapists, gang members, and murderers onto their streets, our brave law enforcement will continue to risk their lives to arrest these heinous criminals.”

DHS didn’t mince words when responding to Denver’s new face coverings ban either, saying in part, “To be crystal clear: we will not abide by a city council’s unconstitutional ban. Our officers wear masks to protect themselves from being doxxed and targeted by known and suspected terrorist sympathizers. Not only is ICE law enforcement facing a more than 1,300 percent increase in assaults against them, but we’ve also seen thugs launch websites to reveal officers’ identity.”

On the other hand, the Denver City Council didn’t mince words when it approved the ban.

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“It’s very disturbing to me, as an American, to see masked agents on the street,” said Councilman Kevin Flynn who represents District 2. “I don’t know what the best way is to enforce our immigration laws, but I think I know the worst way when I see it.”

“I said all along, this was a slam dunk,” added Councilman Darrell Watson of District 9.

Last month, a federal judge struck down a California law prohibiting federal agents from wearing masks. But, the city council says it made sure its ordinance is enforceable.

You have to treat all law enforcement the same,” said City Council President Amanda Sandoval. “So, our sheriffs can’t have masks. Our State Patrol can’t have masks. And federally you can’t have masks. And we delineate that within the ordinance which, that’s where California got the issue.”

Sandoval said she was monitoring the legal process and comparing the two ordinances to ensure they would be good to go.

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Although the city council believes the ordinance is constitutional, the Denver Police Department says it’s still working to determine what implementation could look like, and provided this statement to CBS Colorado:

“Our Safety departments are working with the City Attorney and bill sponsors to determine what implementation could look like. Of utmost importance is discretion and prioritizing de-escalation when encountering these situations. Our goal is to apply this ordinance in a way that builds trust and transparency without putting officers, deputies, or the public at risk.”

Coupled with the city’s new executive order, Sandoval believes Denver now has the necessary guidelines in place.

“A map for residents to understand predictability, and that’s what I always want, is what can the residents be able to rely on.”

There are exemptions in place for the ban, for example: during an active undercover operation, when gear is required for physical safety, and for personnel performing SWAT duties.

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Seattle, WA

Joey Daccord makes 35 saves as Seattle Kraken earn 2-1 win over Hurricanes

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Joey Daccord makes 35 saves as Seattle Kraken earn 2-1 win over Hurricanes


SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – MARCH 02: Andrei Svechnikov #37 of the Carolina Hurricanes shoots the puck during the second period of a game against the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena on March 02, 2026 in Seattle, Washington.  (Christopher Mast / NHLI / Getty Images)

Joey Daccord made 35 saves and the Seattle Kraken survived a 6-on-4 penalty kill for the final 90 seconds for a 2-1 victory over the East’s top team in the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday night.

Kaapo Kakko and Ben Meyers each scored in the second period for the Kraken as they managed to beat a Hurricanes team that has the second-best record in the NHL, trailing only the Colorado Avalanche. The Kraken are now in a playoff spot by five points as they hold the No. 3 seed in the Pacific Division with 22 games to play.

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Nikolaj Ehlers scored the only goal of the night for the Hurricanes late in the second period, but Seattle was able to withstand Carolina’s offensive push in the final period to secure a second straight victory.

The Hurricanes are always a high-volume shooting team and Daccord faced plenty of chances. Carolina had 83 shot attempts to just 31 for the Kraken. Shots on goal were 36-15 in favor of the Hurricanes as well, but scoring chances were just 20-13 in Carolina’s favor as Seattle did a good job limiting the danger of the shots sent at Daccord.

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It was an eventful but scoreless first period between the two teams, with Carolina owning a 13-7 edge in shots. All three goals would come in the second.

Adam Larsson – who assisted on both goals for Seattle – deflected an Alexander Nikishin into the neutral zone to start a two-on-one rush chance for Kakko with Berkly Catton in support as Kakko ripped a shot through the armpit of Carolina goaltender Frederik Andersen for a 1-0 lead.

Kakko said he wanted to make the pass to Catton, but the lane was covered by Shane Ghostisbehere, so he elected to shoot.

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The Kraken earned a power play chance three minutes later on a tripping call against Eric Robinson. Carolina completely neutered the man-advantage for the first 90 seconds before the Kraken appeared to extend the lead.

With 15 seconds left on the power play, the Kraken rushed into the Hurricanes’ zone with Kakko finding a streaking Jaden Schwartz open on the back door for an easy finish behind Andersen. However, Carolina successfully challenged the goal for a missed offsides on Shane Wright that wiped out the goal.

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But the Kraken still managed to extend the lead soon after.

Jacob Melanson continues to be a spark plug for Seattle and helped restore the momentum immediately after the disallowed goal. On the shift coming out of the power play, Melanson delivered a big hit and connected with Adam Larsson on a breakout pass that sparked a rush. Ben Meyers crashed toward the net and was able to finish off his own rebound on a pass from Freddy Gaudreau to officially make it a 2-0 lead.

Melanson didn’t even get an assist out of the sequence, but was a big part of creating a goal for Seattle.

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After being extremely sharp defensively all night, Carolina finally pounced on an opportunity the Kraken were unable to turn away. Vince Dunn was just unable to control a loose puck in front of Seattle’s net as it landed on the stick of Nikolaj Ehlers instead, who snapped a shot past Daccord to make it a 2-1 game with 90 seconds left in the second period.

The Hurricanes took 32 shots in the third period as they attempted to find a tying goal, but only nine made it to Daccord, and he stopped them all. 

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Eeli Tolvanen was called for Seattle’s first and only penalty of the night – a holding call after breaking his stick – with 90 seconds left to play. With Andersen on the bench for a six-on-four chance for Carolina, Daccord stopped all three shots he faced to close out the win for Seattle.

The Source: Information in this story came from FOX 13 Seattle reporting.

MORE KRAKEN NEWS FROM FOX 13 SEATTLE

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