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Dana Air allies with C.A.R.T to Stop Plane Crash Investigation by Lagos Coroner

By on September 7, 2012

Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah

Dana Airlines Limited has allied forces with Captain Dele Ore and the Civil Aviation Round Table (CART) to stop the investigation into the June 3 plane crash that killed 153 Nigerians prematurely. The company has also reportedly filed suit to halt the Lagos State Coroners investigation into the crash.

Captain Dele Ore and CART, a non-governmental organization, earlier filed suit at the Federal High in Lagos seeking to stop the investigation being carried out by the Lagos State Coroner’s Office into the cause of the crash.

According to the plaintiffs Section 29 of the Civil Aviation Act No. 6 of 2006 precludes the Lagos State coroners court from involving itself with deaths from aviation as they are federal matters.

Named as defendants in the suit are the Chief Judge of Lagos State, the Chief Coroner of Lagos State, the Attorney General of Lagos State, the Attorney General of the Federation and the Federal Ministry of Aviation.

Also named are the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Federal Airports Authority, The Accident Investigation Bureau, Nigerian Air Space Management Authority and Dana Airlines Limited.

Counsel to the Lagos State government has dismissed the move as frivolous and the presiding judge, Okon Abang has fixed September 13th to make his ruling.

Observers are saying the moves are part of a clandestine operation to conceal any neglect perpetrated by Dana airlines that could have led to the crash and to pave way for the return to operations of the airline which is said to be secretly owned by a former head of state.

At the court hearing it was reported that Akinjide Bakare, counsel to the Lagos State government, tried to get the court to throw out the prayer of Dana Airlines to join the plaintiffs in stopping the investigation. However he faced strong opposition from not only the plaintiffs lawyers but from all the counsel of the Federal Government including the Ministry of Aviation, Attorney Generals Office, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, and Accident Investigation Bureau.

Eze Ikoku, a Lagos based legal-practitioner said, “It has become crystal that a cabal is bent of burying the Dana Airplane investigation with the victims of the air crash.”