Was yesterday’s plane crash that took the life of Governor Patrick Yakowa of Kaduna State and immediate past National Security Adviser (NSA), Gen. Andrew Owoye Azazi (retd.) alongside four others a mere accident or an act of sabotage? While many have accepted it as an accident, some Nigerians insist otherwise. Among those propounding the conspiracy theory are a renowned university professor cum government official, a senior journalist, a public relations practitioner with links to the Bayelsa State Government, and an activist.

“Sabotage? Hmmmmm.” That was the reaction of Hope Eghagha, a Professor with the University of Lagos currently on sabbatical as Commissioner for Higher Education Delta State, South-South Nigeria.

Also putting down her thoughts via Facebook, Chi Tola, a Lagos-based PR practitioner who has consulted for the Bayelsa State Government, made two posts insinuating sabotage. First she wrote: “Another sabotaged flight??” and later added: “Nigeria we hail thee. We see Sabotage as usual but time will tell.”

To Ayodele Samuel Ayokunle Oloye, a Senior Correspondent with the Abuja-based Peoples Daily and head of the newspaper’s Lagos newsroom, it makes sense to suspect sabotage.

“I am suspecting the Chopper was shot down,” he wrote. “The victims, according to a former youth president of Okoroba community, Hitler Adumion who spoke to journalists from the scene of the crash, were burnt beyond recognition.”

Reacting from her Toronto, Canada, base, an activist, Princess Judith Omolara Desalu-Ogunmuyiwa, Founder and CEO of Solutionstopoverty.org, said in response to a News Express story on the crash:

“I was saddened to know that Owoeye Azazi was murdered for telling the truth. This message to his families he was a great men who spoke the truth and nothing but the truth. Be proud of him. May your Soul Rest in Perfect Peace. Owoeye Azazi you are an honest man who spoke the truth even when you were surrounded by lions. Your honesty lives on. You revealed the true identity of BOKO HARAM AS PDP PARTY led by TUKUR (PDP party Chairman) in which you were fired. As a soldier I saluted your honesty and braveness. Your conscience was cleared and we appreciate your information even though the Journalists were not kind to you when you spoke the truth.”

News Express reports that Nigeria’s aviation authorities are yet to issue an official statement explaining what really happened. While President Jonathan and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) have issued statements, they threw no light on what brought down the plane.

The military helicopter crashed around 4:30 p.m. in Okoroba in the Nembe area of President Goodluck Jonathan’s home state, Bayelsa, South-South Nigeria while conveying some political heavyweights who attended the burial of Pa Douglas Obebara, the father of Oronto Douglas, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Research, Documentation and Strategy.