Oluwayemisi Oluwole, the landlady of one the two buildings affected by the ill-fated Bell 206 that crashed in the Opebi area of Lagos State on Friday, said she has not been allowed to access her home since the crash.
Oluwole, a 77-year-old lady, stated this when Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Governor of Lagos State, visited the crash site for an on-the-spot assessment on Saturday.
The landlady explained that she has been barred from sleeping in her home and pleaded with Governor Sanwo-Olu to assist her by fixing the damage caused by the crash.
She also lamented that various visitors to the crash site violated COVID-19 preventive protocols and urged the state government to sanitise the area.
She said: “I thank God for what happened because there was nobody in the apartment affected by the crash. We thank God that the helicopter didn’t land on top of the house.
“I hope somebody will come and assess the degree of the damage and that should be done quickly because I have not entered the house since yesterday because I have been barred from entering the house.
“Since yesterday (Friday), a lot of people have come here without observing any COVID-19 protocols. In my house now, I can count 20 face masks on the floor. So, I want to appeal to government to come and help us to sanitise the place.”
Governor Sanwo-Olu pledged to assist the residents, who he said are mainly senior citizens in their 70s and 80s, to get back to their feet.
He also ordered integrity tests on the buildings affected by the helicopter crash.
The helicopter, a Bird 206 owned by Quorum Aviation Limited, crashed into a building at the Salvation Bus Stop area in Opebi, Ikeja, around noon on Friday, with three passengers on board.
All the three crew members on board – identified as Captain Chika Ernest, Macaulay Brownson and Clement Ndiok – died in the crash.
The helicopter was said to have about two minutes to land at Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, before the crash.
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