Obi in a statement on Friday called on aviation regulators to launch a full investigation into the incident.
THE WHISTLER reports that the aircraft, an Embraer E170 operating as Flight 4264 from Lagos to Benin with registration number 5N-ENR, overran the end of Runway 05 at about 3:10 p.m. on Thursday while landing.
According to the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), there were 63 passengers and five crew members on board, all of whom were safely evacuated with no injuries or casualties recorded.
The incident, initially described by some as a “crash landing,” has been confirmed by both the airline and aviation authorities as a runway excursion – an occurrence in which an aircraft veers off or overruns a runway after landing.
Enugu Air, which is owned by the Enugu State Government, confirmed the incident in a statement, assuring the public that all passengers and crew disembarked safely and that the aircraft had been secured pending further assessment.
Reacting to the development in a statement issued via his X handle, Obi said he received the news “with profound relief,” joining “all Nigerians in expressing heartfelt gratitude to God Almighty” that everyone on board escaped unhurt.
“The safety of human lives must always remain our highest priority,” he said.
Obi praised the professionalism of those who responded to the emergency, commending “the pilot, the flight crew, and the airport emergency response teams at Benin Airport for their swift and professional handling of the situation,” which he said “averted what could have been a major tragedy.”
He described their conduct under pressure as “deeply commendable.”
While welcoming the safe outcome, Obi cautioned that the incident should not be dismissed as a routine escape, describing it as “a sober reminder of the critical need for strict adherence to aviation safety protocols, rigorous routine maintenance, and continuous infrastructure upgrades across our airports nationwide.”
He specifically called on the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) to get to the root of what caused the excursion, urging both bodies “to conduct a thorough, transparent, and timely investigation into the root cause of this incident.”
Obi added that such investigations were necessary not just for accountability, but for public trust, noting that “learning from occurrences such as this is essential to strengthening public confidence in our aviation sector and ensuring that our skies remain consistently safe.”
He closed his statement with a prayer for all air travellers, saying, “May God continue to guide and protect all travellers across our nation.”
The NSIB has already deployed its “Go Team” to the crash site and commenced an independent investigation, with the bureau’s Director General, Captain Alex Badeh Jr., stating that “every runway excursion is a serious occurrence that deserves a thorough and independent investigation.”
