Whilst a list of crash victims has not yet been released, preliminary reports indicate that a number of individuals considered to be PEPs were on the passenger manifest, including:

• A sultan who is the spiritual leader of Nigeria's Muslims, and his son.
  

• The son of a former president of Nigeria.
  

• A number of senators.
  

• A deputy governor.
  

Account relationship officers for high net-worth Nigeria nationals should be alerted that there may be persons who are alleged next-of-kin, or legal representatives, in the bank this week, seeking to make large withdrawals.

Fraudsters may also be seeking to access funds of the recently deceased. Enquiries as to PEP status on any Nigerian nationals listed as private businessmen, whose representatives are seeking funds, are strongly suggested.

There has been no information indicating whether any senior Nigerian military officers were on board, but readers may wish to review last month's article. See Alert for attempts to withdraw from accounts involving deceased Nigerian generals, World-Check 20 September, 2006.