West
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.
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
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)
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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(Anchorage) Twenty Alaska educators will hit the road June 7-12, 2026, for an exciting trip across the Last Frontier. Alaska Resource Education’s Natural Resource Management Teacher Externship takes teachers on a trip across Alaska to see the state’s natural resource sites and training locations firsthand.
“The natural resource industry is a big part of Alaska but unless you work within the industry, you’ve probably never had the opportunity to see it up close,” says Beki Toussaint, ARE’s executive director. “The NRM Teacher Externship allows educators to gain important insight into these industries and the many careers within them.”
The externship is also an opportunity for educators to learn how to implement ARE’s curriculum in the classroom. ARE’s curriculum is designed for grades K-12 and aligned with Alaska State Standards.
“Alaska students are the future of our great state. Our educators are the ones who inspire them and help them unlock what comes next. By investing in our educators, we’re investing in our students,” says Toussaint.
During the week-long trip, educators will visit industry sites including the North Slope, Chena Hot Springs, Kinross Fort Knox Gold Mine and Usibelli Coal Mine. The group will also visit training locations like the Pipeline Training Center and the UAF Community and Technical College. New this year, teachers are taking a private tour of the Mining Hall of Fame followed by a reception with community members.
“Many educators have spent their entire careers in education and have never worked in the trades or had the opportunity to learn how apprenticeships and industry training programs operate. By visiting the mines and speaking directly with industry leaders, my fellow educators and I will gain valuable firsthand knowledge that we can share with our students and communities. As a result, we become ambassadors for both educational opportunities and the industries that help sustain Alaska’s economy and communities.” said Keith Hodson, Anchorage educator.
Teachers from across the state will attend, including educators from Galena, Juneau, Hydaburg, Anchorage, Fairbanks, Soldotna, North Pole, Eagle River, Point Hope and Prince of Wales Island. The NRM Teacher Externship is certified through the University of Alaska as a 500-level course. Successful completion will earn educators three continuing education credits.
ARE is able to offer programs like this due to generous donations from our supporters like, innovation visionary sponsors, Jim & Vicki Jansen Foundation and a partnership grant through the Anchorage School District.
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Here are The Arizona Republic’s high school players of the year for the spring 2026 Arizona Interscholastic Association season. The players were selected by the Republic sports staff based on coaches’ input along with performances during the season and AIA statistics. All of them were included as part of The Republic’s All-Arizona teams for each sport that were presented over the previous week. Sports on this list are listed alphabetically.
Baseball
Kellan Tom, Tempe Corona del Sol, 1B/RHP, Sr.
The Arizona State commit was voted the AIA 6A Conference Player of the Year by the coaches. He became the ace of the pitching staff, leading the Aztecs to the state final with a 7-2 record. He hit .440 with 10 doubles, 10 home runs and 43 RBIs.
Beach volleyball
Vivian Hickman, Sr., and Kate MacDonald, Sr., Xavier Prep
We select two players in this category since beach is a pairs game. MacDonald and Hickman won the Division I pairs championship. MacDonald, who committed to Boise State, finished runner-up in 2024 and 2025 while teamed with different partners. This year, she clicked with Hickman, who competed in her freshman year, but then stepped away for two seasons while focusing on indoor volleyball. Hickman, a UCLA commit, was part of the Gators’ fall indoor volleyball championship teams in 2024 and ’25 before returning to beach this spring.
Boys volleyball
Tommy Henige, Gilbert Perry, MH, Jr.
Biggest force in the state and one of the greatest impact players in the nation, the 6-foot-9 UCLA commit helped lead the Pumas to a second straight 6A championship with a dominating performance against Mesa Mountain View. He crushed every ball near him. Henige, who comes from a family of volleyball players, competed in the USA Volleyball Boys U19 National Team that competed in the world championships last summer.
Softball
Tanner Banks, Mohave Accelerated, C, Sr.
She ended up the state’s all-time record holder at any level for home runs (70), RBIs (303) and doubles (77). The Boise State commit played on baseball teams until she was 12, before staying with softball full-time. This season, she led the 2A team with a .710 batting average, 21 home runs, 20 doubles and 82 RBIs.
Tennis
Boys: Vikram Narendran, Tucson Rincon/University, Sr.
Narendran won his third straight Division I state singles championship, entering the bracket as the No. 1 seed and becoming one of six players in state history to win three straight singles titles.
Girls: Japneet Kaur, Boulder Creek, Jr.
Kaur, the No. 1 seed, defeated her teammate and No. 2 seed Michelle Bullock for the D-I title for second title in the past three years. She also won in 2024 and finished runner-up in 2025 to Bullock.
Track and Field
Boys: Ryder Hall, Snowflake, Sr.
The state’s definitive best jumper. The future decathlete at BYU spent most of the season ranked No. 1 in Arizona for the triple jump (48 feet, 11.5 inches), long jump (23-11) and high jump (6-10). He won Division IV state titles in all three jump events and the 110-meter hurdles, running 13.99 (ranked No. 3 in the state). Hall was the AIA state champion in the triple and long jump.
Girls: Imani Galera-Young, Chandler, Sr.
She put together a year to remember, breaking the Arizona state record in the 300-meter hurdles at 40.65. In the 300-hurdles, the Arkansas signee won eight out of nine races. Galera-Young swept both hurdle titles at the Division I and AIA State Championships. She ended the season at 13.53 in the 100-hurdles, No. 2 in the state.
(The Republic’s Chris Coppola contributed to this report).
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