NSIB Intensifies Efforts to Speed Up Accident Investigations

The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) is taking steps to enhance the speed and effectiveness of accident investigations thru specialized manpower, modern equipment and stronger collaboration with relevant agencies.

This was revealed by the Director-General of the Bureau, Capt. Alex Badeh Jr., at a virtual media interaction on the activities, projects and policy initiatives of the NSIB in the first half of 2026.

Badeh said the Bureau intended to acquire breathalyzers and internationally certified testing kits to enhance preliminary testing at accident scenes, especially in aviation investigation.

He said the equipment would allow investigators to carry out initial testing before samples were sent to laboratories for further analysis.

He stressed that NSIB investigations were non-punitive and aimed at establishing the facts, identifying the contributing factors and making safety recommendations to prevent similar accidents.

Badeh said on maritime investigations, the Bureau had made significant progress following the deployment of dedicated maritime investigators and specialized investigative software.

He said that several maritime reports were at the stakeholder-review stage, and about four are ready for release after the relevant stakeholders submit their comments.

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The development had helped overcome some of the delays that occurred when aviation investigators were largely responsible for maritime investigations, he said.

But Badeh said the Bureau was still hampered by inadequate funding and lack of specialized equipment.

He said the lack of remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) was a big gap, because such equipment was needed to help investigators recover evidence and bodies from sunken ships, especially in waterways with poor underwater visibility.

NSIB’s growing responsibilities for aviation, rail and maritime transport were largely funded by aviation-related revenue, putting pressure on its resources and contributing to budget constraints.

Badeh said the repositioning of NSIB to the Presidency thru the Office of the National Security Adviser would help address some of its institutional and funding challenges.

He said the NSIB currently had about 407 employes but needed more people with specialized expertise in aviation, maritime and rail accident investigation.

He said the Bureau was focusing on training and upskilling existing staff, while plans to recruit additional specialists would depend on available funding and other institutional considerations.

Badeh said the Bureau was deepening cooperation with regulatory and law-enforcement agencies, emphasizing that NSIB was set up to complement their work rather than compete or replace them.

He said the Bureau was collaborating with agencies such as the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and railroad authorities to enhance safety within the country’s transport system.

He said the Bureau was engaged in a formal Memorandum of Understanding with NIWA in a bid to reduce accidents and fatalities on Nigeria’s inland waterways.

Regarding the overall state of transport safety, Badeh stated that he was not fully pleased with recent developments in aviation, especially after the VMO Aero and Enugu Air incidents which are still under investigation.

He did say, however, that road safety had improved and there were fewer major incidents involving tankers.

He added that the NSIB would continue to strengthen its technical capacity, improve access to modern investigative equipment and deepen collaboration with interested parties to make the nation’s transport system safer.