News
Court Orders Air Peace To Provide Details On Aircraft Used In Controversial Flight
- Lagos High Court directs Air Peace to answer FIJ’s queries on aircraft operations
- Questions relate to aircraft initially scheduled, technical issues, and substitute aircraft used
- Court upholds FIJ’s argument, says questions are relevant to the libel suit
Eko Hot Blog reports that a Lagos High Court has ordered Air Peace to provide answers to questions raised by the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) regarding the libel suit filed by the airline over its aircraft operations from Lagos to Anambra State on October 12, 2022.
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In the suit number: LD/ADR/4833/23 – Air Peace v. Foundation for Investigative Journalism, Air Peace maintains that it adhered to safety protocols and practices in compliance with safety directives and policies.
However, it challenged FIJ’s Interrogatory’s compelling answers to questions regarding the aircraft used and flight operation, describing them as “scandalous and irrelevant” to the libel suit.
FIJ was dissatisfied with the responses to the questions and filed an application compelling Air Peace to answer the questions sufficiently objected to.
In the ruling, delivered on Thursday by Justice Jose, the court upheld the argument of FIJ, represented by counsel Abimbola Ojenike and Jesulayomi Oyelami of Slingstone LP, stating that “the questions requesting for the details of the first two aircraft designated to convey passengers are relevant to the facts in issue and that they relate to the defendant’s case and are capable of proving that the defendants are right.”
Accordingly, the court directed Air Peace to answer Questions 1, 4, and 7 of the defendant’s Interrogatories within seven days of the order’s grant, which include: “Question 1 – Provide the comprehensive description and specification of the aircraft 5N-BUL initially scheduled for the operation of Flight P47336 on October 12, 2022.”
“Question 4 – Provide the comprehensive specifications of the technical issues discovered in the course of operation of Flight P47336 and the circumstances which led to the change of the aircraft from 5N-BUL to 5N-BQQ.”
“Question 7 – Provide the comprehensive descriptions and specifications of the aircraft 5N-BQQ initially onboard the passengers for the operation of Flight P47336 on October 12, 2022.”
The suit was, however, adjourned till May 23, 2024, for further proceedings.
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Recall that FIJ had reported that passengers aboard an Air Peace aircraft flying from Lagos to Anambra managed to escape death after its engine stopped working three times at the take-off point, quoting a source as saying, “The engine stopped three times and there was no explanation until passengers asked to be allowed to leave the plane.”
Airpeace subsequently instituted legal action against FIJ, demanding N50 million for damages, N250 million for aggravated damages, and N5 million for the cost of legal action.
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