Soldier slumps during airlift of victims' bodies

Culled from: The Sun News

Another tragedy was averted in Bayelsa State yesterday when a soldier who participated in the ceremony to bid the bodies of the victims of last Saturday helicopter crash by the state government slumped. The ceremony, which commenced with the valedictory session at the state executive chambers continued at the Government House helipad where members of the armed forces paid their last respects to the victims of the crash including three officers, Warrant Officer Kamal, Commander Murtala Daba and Lt. Adeyemi Sowole.


The bodies starting with that of the late Governor Patrick Yakowa and Dauda Tsoho were first brought and placed on the. After prayers offered by a Muslim soldier and the Senior Special Assistant to Bayelsa State governor on Religious Affairs, Mr. John Peters, Yakowa’s body was lifted into the military helicopter. Governor Henry Dickson had left the helipad and his Deputy, Rear Admiral John Jonah was sorting out those who would accompany him in the other helicopter when suddenly a soldier slumped and fell on the ground.

It immediately caused commotion as his colleagues made frantic efforts to revive him, when they failed; they raised the alarm and called for an ambulance to take him to the hospital. While his colleagues battled to remove his boots and his clothes to allow him fresh air, the Bayelsa ambulance services promptly brought a stretcher from the Nigeria Air Force Mobility Command Ambulance with registration number AF 483 C and rushed him to the Bayelsa State Government House clinic.

When Daily Sun visited the Government House clinic, the soldier was sighted at ward 1 where a team of medical personnel had been able to stabilise his condition. One of his colleagues, who declined to give the name of the slumped soldier, said he must have suffered from exhaustion. He said they were optimistic that he would be fine as he hads been put on drip.