The governor of Nigeria's Kaduna state has been killed in a helicopter crash in the southern delta region along with other senior officials, his party says.

Governor Patrick Ibrahim
Yakowa and former national
security adviser Gen Owoye Azazi
were on the helicopter which
came down in Bayelsa state.
Nigerian media said the
helicopter belonged to the
Nigerian navy and had been
taking officials to Port Harcourt.
Nigeria has a poor air safety
record, analysts say.
In March a police helicopter
carrying a high-ranking police
official crashed in the central city
of Jos, killing four people.
"The nation has lost a great
patriot who in about two years
in saddle as the Governor of
Kaduna State demonstrated an
unyielding capacity in wielding
together varying fragile
interests," the Peoples
Democratic Party said in a
statement.
Kaduna, in northern Nigeria, is a
volatile region with a mixed
population of Muslims and
Christians. The Islamist militants
of Boko Haram have frequently
targeted Kaduna churches.