My Wife Came Home Without Pant, Ex-Edo Commissioner Tells Court

Husband of a former Commissioner in Edo state, David Erhabor has told Benin High Court 9, that his wife of 15 years once came home without a pant on her.
Erhabor was testifying in a divorce suit instituted by his wife, Florence Igbinigie-Erhabor, a former Commissioner for Women Affairs, under former governor Lucky Igbinedion.
In the suit before Justice Anthony Erhabor, the respondent, (David Erhabor) told the court he never envisaged a broken home in his life.
He said, however, that trouble started after his wife was appointed commissioner by former governor Lucky Igbinedion, when she suddenly resorted to keeping late nights.
He added that there was a time the wife abandoned their two children, absconded from home for three days, only to be caught red handed inside a vehicle, romancing and kissing a man who had earlier tear-gassed him.
“There was a day she came back home drunk and without a pant on her. She was in the habit of keeping late night,” Mr. Erhabor told the court.
He further disclosed that it took the intervention of a former Managing Director of Delta State Oil Producing Community Development Commission (DESOPADEC), Wellington Okrika, to resolve some of their numerous squabbles.
Erhabor equally said his wife had at a time demanded for N1 million from him before she could allowed him have sex with her, saying that he ran out from home wearing only pant when he sensed that his wife was about to kill him via hired assassins.
On the position of the petitioner seeking divorcé and the issue of the custody of the children, the respondent opined that the children can always stay with whomever they choose when on holidays.
The petitioner, Mrs. Igbinigie-Erhabor, amongst others is asking the court to grant her devoice on the grounds of threat to life, violent assault and infidelity on the part of her husband, Mr. David Irabor, also a former Senior Special Adviser to governor Oserhiemen Osunbor.
The former commissioner who has since 2009 separated from her husband arising from irreconcilable differences, equally demanded that the husband paid her the sum of N150,000 monthly for the upkeep of each for the two children and to pay their school fees.
While under-cross examination by the respondent’s counsel, Akakhomen Austine, the petitioner said besides the embarrassment the rampant violent attacks caused her while serving as commissioner, the husband had also at a time squeezed the children inside a vehicle and threatened to set them ablaze, adding that it took the prompt intervention of members of both families before there was peace.
She said ever since then she took sole responsibility of paying the children’s school fees who currently live with her in her family house.
She said she relocated to her family house when she suspected that her husband was after her life following the invasion of her private residence by robbers on two occasions.
She also accused the husband of having extra-marital affairs with the house maids.
Justice Erhabor adjourned the case till 4 August, 2012 for further hearing.

2 Brothers to die for stealing N39,040

The Benue Chief Judge, Justice Iorhemen Hwande, on Wednesday in Makurdi sentenced two brothers, Ibrahim Yau and Abubakar Yau to death by hanging for armed robbery.
The two brothers were arraigned for criminal conspiracy and armed robbery.
They were said to have conspired to rob one Simon Tartyough and Isaiah Kena of valuable property.
The property, stolen at gun point, were said to have included cell phones and money to the tune of N39,040 on Makurdi-Guma Road, sometime in March, 2010.
The offences are in contravention of Sections 6(b) and 1(2) and (b) of the Robbery and Firearms Act.
The convicts, however, denied the allegation, testifying for themselves and calling only one witness during the trial.
In his judgement, Hwande said that from the evidence before the court, the prosecution had proved its case beyond all reasonable doubt that the convicts actually committed the offences.
The judge also said that their victims identified them.
After listening to the pleas for mercy on behalf of the convicts by their counsel, Mr R.B. Ayula, the Chief Judge said that though the convicts had no evidence of previous conviction, his hands were tied.
“The provisions of the law is that a convict of armed robbery has no option than a death sentence under the section 1(2) and (b) of the Robbery Act,” he explained.
Hwande said that it was only the legislature that could amend the present law and reduce the sentence to jail terms.

Rihanna Escapes Early Morning Fire at London Hotel

RIhanna after the fire incident

  Pop star rihanna early this morning escaped fire from a London Hotel .London Fire Brigade says she was among 300 people evacuated from conrinthian hotel after an early-morning fire in an elevator shaft. 

 The  talk that talk singer tweeted news of the fire early Wednesday to her 21 million Twitter followers, posting a picture of a fire engine and the words: "Roamin da streets since 6am! Fyah in da telly." 

      The fire brigade said the alarm was raised at 6:22 a.m. (0522 GMT) and 10 firefighters dealt with the blaze on the 7th floor of the luxury Corinthia Hotel. There were no reports of injuries.
   In other news RiRi has now sold a staggering combined total of 20 million singles and albums on UK turf, according to the latest Official Charts Company's sales data.The 24-year-old singer has sold over 14 million singles and over six million albums in the United Kingdom. 
 Rihanna performed Sunday at the outdoor BBC Hackney Weekend in London.

eLDee To Release Undeniable Album July 1

Undeniable Album cover art

   Veteran musician -producer eLDee da don has picked July 1,2012 as the release date for his long-awaited fifth album Undeniable. The album release was postponed few times in the past but is now ready . 
    Undeniable  was mainly produced by Sarz & Cobhams and  contains tracks like "Been there done that" ,  "Higher" "Today today" ,"wash wash ", "Always" ,Rundown and many more.

Is It a Dead End for the Farouk Lawan vs Femi Otedola Bribery Scandal?

With the embattled Chairman of the House of Representatives ad hoc committee on fuel subsidy, Mr. Farouk Lawan’s insistence that he gave the alleged bribe money to the Chairman, Committee on Narcotics and Anti-corruption, Adams Jagaba, Police investigators are now in a dilemma over the whereabouts of the $620,000 bribe.
After Mr. Lawan confessed to receiving the bribe money from the Chairman of Zenon Oil and Gas, Mr. Femi Otedola, he said he gave the money to Mr. Jagaba who denied ever receiving the money in an official statement.
Now, it seems that the Special Task Force is not making much progress in the investigation because of its inability to know the whereabouts of the money.
The Police probe into the matter is compounded by the refusal of the State Security Service to provide the Special Task Force with the original copy of the video recording of what transpired between Lawan and Otedola.
Meanwhile, Jagaba and members of the committee on fuel subsidy have shunned police invitation. They were expected to appear before the STF on Wednesday, but only Lawan and the clerk of the ad hoc committee, Boniface Emenalo, turned up.
However, Jagaba wrote the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, saying he did not collect any money from Lawan.
Sources said the STF is now confused about the next step to take, following the ‘dribbling‘ by Lawan and the refusal of other committee members and Jagaba to honour police invitation.
Other committee members that were invited had yet to appear before the police too.
“Investigators are confused and didn’t know what to do because Lawan kept dribbling them about the whereabouts of the money and it seems the STF is intimidated by the caliber of people involved in the matter.
“I think the fact that the Inspector-General of Police, is in acting capacity is an issue and that may be why the police are afraid to go tough with the lawmakers.
“The fact that the SSS has not been cooperating with us by releasing materials in its possession is not helping the matter. This investigation is heading for the rock,” the source said.
When the news of this bribery scandal first broke out, a lot of people said it would end up just this way – at a dead end. Although investigations are still ongoing, considering the recent turn of events, many have lost faith that justice would prevail in this case.
What are your thoughts?
News Source: Punch News

Prezzo breaks up with Goldie

Since their love affair began officially on Saturday, May 12, 2012, the housemates have managed to remain a ‘couple’ despite their frequent fights.
However, it seems as though Kenyan rapper, Prezzo, is now finally done with his Nigerian ‘lover’, Goldie.
He confided in his friend, Keitta, yesterday, Wednesday, June 27, 2012 about how tired he is with his relationship with the singer.
In his words, ‘I’m not even eating the food she cooks from now on. I can make eggs. I am done. Watch this space. It’s time to bring the old Prezzo back…This chick is a weirdo and I found myself caught up in the mix.’
Even when Biggie played Goldie’s song, Prezzo complained, asking Biggie to change the song and play ‘real music’.
Fans and viewers of the show have since attributed Prezzo’s outburst to the argument he had with Goldie earlier in the week, after which a sad Goldie started speaking to herself.
One thing  though: Goldie is yet to be informed of the break-up as Prezzo only confided in Keitta.

Arsenal FC vs Super Eagles of Nigeria: Which Side Are You On?

Are there any football enthusiasts here? I certainly hope so because I would like us to try something different.
Let’s predict who would win the match between Arsenal Football Club of England and the Super Eagles of Nigeria!
On Sunday, August 5th 2012, the two teams would take each other on in an exciting football match in Abuja, Nigeria.
Arsenal, which came third in the English premiership last season, will be in Nigeria as part of their pre-season preparation. The match will be the first time Arsenal will play against the Super Eagles who are currently ranked 60th in the FIFA rankings.
DanJan Sports, the promoters of the game, say they have an agreement with the Nigeria Football Federation that the Nigerian team would field a strong side for the match.
“The NFF have agreed that the country will present a strong side, as Coach Stephen Keshi continues his development process,” said David Omigie, who spoke for Dan Jan Sports.
“The Arsenal manager (Arsene Wenger) will also use this game to showcase his full squad for the 2012/2013 football season,” Mr. Omigie said.
Arsenal traditionally hosts an annual pre-season tournament at the Emirates Stadium, called the Emirates cup, but they opted to postpone the event this year because of the 2012 London Olympics.
The London club would visit Malaysia and China as part of their pre-season preparation in July before coming to Nigeria. Tickets for the match will go on sale from July 4.
So, what do you think? Arsenal FC vs Super Eagles, who stands a better chance of winning the match? Do you wish to predict the scores?
Again I ask, are there any football enthusiasts here? Maybe someone could give us a pre-match analysis of what to expect.
Let’s know what you think.

Ogun police recover 16 vehicles; arrest 8 armed robbers in 2 days

Police men

Ogun state police have recovered 16 cars and arrested 8 robbers in the state

The Ogun State police command on Wednesday announced that it has recovered 16 stolen cars within two days. The force also said it also arrested eight armed robbers and identified the gangs’ hideouts.

The command in a statement issued by its public relations officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, in Abeokuta said the feat was recorded when its State CID anti-robbery team and Anti-crime men attached to Ibafo Division of the command, uncovered the hideouts of armed robbers and recovered the stolen cars with assorted arms and ammunition.

He said the recovered vehicles were stolen from various parts of the country and the recoveries are as a result of robust intelligence gathering of the command.

Mr. Adejobi said the Ogun State commissioner of Police, Okoye Ikemefuna, who personally visited some of these hideouts, expressed disappointment in the way people perceive armed robbery as a legitimate business while causing untold pains on the victims of such robbery cases.

“He has however ordered the arrest of both the armed robbers and the receivers who are fond of encouraging them to venture into these nefarious acts. It has been revealed that these robbers are those terrorizing the innocent people of Ogun and Lagos states,” Mr. Adejobi said.

He stated further that the suspects are currently at the state CID Eleweran Abeokuta where they are assisting the police in their investigation adding that they will soon appear in court after thorough investigations.

“The command thereby wishes to inform those whose cars were stolen to cross check the particulars of the recovered vehicles for possible claims.”

The recovered vehicles are: Toyota Sienna, Reg. No. GJ 556 EK;' Honda Odyssey, unregistered; ash coloured Toyota Camry, unregistered; black coloured Honda Accord,  Reg. No.  LSD 537 AM; green V/Wagon Passat; Black Honda Acura MDS; gold Honda Accord; gold Nissan Murano; black Honda Pilot ; Ash Toyota Camry; gold Honda Accord EOD; Toyota Sienna, Reg. No CY 430 AAA; Pathfinder Limited , Reg. No MNY 77 AA; Toyota Avalon, Reg. No LSD 753 AL; Mazda 626, Reg. No RN 805 AAA; Honda Accord, Reg. No DW 439 LSD.

I was not slapped by a mobile police man’ – Davido

Fast rising musician, Davido Adeleke otherwise known as Davido has debunked rumours he had scuffle with mobile policemen.

The internet was awash last night, with unconfirmed reports claiming the young millionaire hit-maker was slapped by uniformed men ‘for being rude’.

But the 19-year-old musician quickly took to his Twitter handle, to deny the story, saying it was untrue and baseless.

‘I am safe and at home … Stop the lies! Unlike some of y’all der r some pple out that care …OMO BABA OLOWO :GENESIS OUT  SOON’, he tweeted.

Davido who is currently signed on to HKN records will be launching his debut album O.B.O Genesis at the Eko Hotel and Suites on Sunday, July 22, 2012.

Russian Mother Throws Children Off 15th Floor Balcony

30-year-old Galina Ryabkova tossed her two sons—ages 4 and 7—off at 15th-floor balcony in Moscow on Sunday because she was "fed up" with them. Surveillance footage showed the woman appearing emotionless after going to look at their bodies. 

A neighbor who spotted her leaving the building asked her if the children were hers, to which she replied, "Yes, I threw them away." She initially told police the boys were now "angels in heaven" before refusing to speak. It's still unclear why Ryabkova killed her children, though some reports claim she was on the verge of divorcing her husband, and that she recently discovered he cheated on her.

If Ryabkova is convicted, she could face life in prison. She'll reportedly be sent to a psychiatric for evaluation first

50 Cent Hospitalized Following Car Accident

50 Cent was sent to the hospital last night after his bulletproof SUV was rear-ended by a Mack truck on the Long Island Expressway in New York City, New York.

According to ThisIs50.com, Fifty was taken to the nearest hospital in Queens on a stretcher where he is currently undergoing tests on his neck and back. The driver of the vehicle was also taken to the hospital after the SUV almost flipped.

The driver of the big rig told police that the truck shifted and he lost control of the vehicle.

HipHopDX will keep you updated as more information comes to light.

T-e-r-r-o-r-! Family of 6 killed in Jos, Bomb found in Kano mosque , Traders scamper in Minna over rumour of attack ,locally made guns in kogi state,

A family of six including a six-month old child and a 70-year old grandmother were yesterday brutally murdered by gunmen at Kumpun village in Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State. In Lokoja, capital of Kogi State, the police command has discovered a hideout in Koto – Karfe area of the state where guns were being locally manufactured.

In Kano State, the Joint Military Taskforce, JTF, also yesterday discovered a high calibre Improvised Explosive Devise, IED, in the   premises of Waje Friday Jumat Mosque in Fagge Local Government Area of the state. The JTF also arrested four persons while allegedly trying to plant the bomb in the mosque.

This was even as there was pandemonium in the Zone 5 area of Abuja, yesterday evening, following a bomb scare, with some offices in the ever-busy environment  quickly evacuating as business men and women  also hurriedly closed shops and residents scampered for safety.


Policemen from bomb disposal unit packing defused home made bombs made from cans of soft drinks.
In Minna, Niger State capital and environs, business activities were also temporarily disrupted yesterday afternoon as rumour of attacks by members of an Islamic sect, Boko-Haram filtered into town. The rumour which started  barely an hour to the Friday Juma’at Mosque climaxed as some shop owners closed shops for the day’s business while many traders at the Kure ultra modern market and other markets around the metropolis also hurriedly followed suit.

However, six other people were injured in Plateau State when the assailants suspected to be Fulani herdsmen and said to have numbered over 30 stormed the village at about 3.30am wielding guns and machetes.

An eyewitness said the attackers killed six members of the Dakibang family in their sleep and injured two other members of the family who were hit with machetes as they tried to escape before moving to other houses in the village where they injured four other people.

They reportedly shot sporadically while some of them attacked those trying to escape with dangerous weapons and operated for about two hours before escaping through a bush path.

Security men to whom distress calls were made allegedly arrived at the village an hour after the attackers had gone.

Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Mr. John Clark Dabwang who visited the affected village to commiserate with them described the attack as barbaric and wicked.

He wondered why people would hack down fellow human beings in cold blood and appealed for calm among the people urging them not to carry out reprisals.

Spokesman for the Plateau State Police Command, Deputy Superintendent Emmanuel Abuh confirmed the attack and the six killed adding that investigations were on to track down the perpetrators.In Kano State, the Waje Friday Mosque lies within the expanse of land that separate the predominantly Christian quarters and the indigenous Hausa.

Bomb found in Kano mosque

A  statement by JTF spokesman made available to Saturday Vanguard in Kano, Lt Ikediche Iweha stated:

“The attention of the general public is hereby drawn to the latest desperate and despicable tactics employed by members of the terrorist sect aimed at causing public disorder and riots in the name of religion. This afternoon, June 22, 2012, at about 2pm, the attention of the JTF was called by a careful Nigerian to a suspicious package at a mosque in Fagge area just before the Friday prayers. Upon examination, the package turned out to be an IED planted by terrorists to cause death and grievous harm to worshippers at the Jum’mat prayers.

“This latest attempt is particularly disturbing in view of the wider implication it would have had on the fragile peace in Kano and the disruption of economic activities it would have brought with it. It is also equally disturbing in view of the recent events in parts of Kaduna State to which Kano boarders.”

Similarly, the Police Public Relation Officer in the state, DSP Rilwanu Tanimu  confirmed the arrest of the four suspects stressing that they were apprehended after they abandoned the IED stocked in a polythene bag.

Taminu further explained that a comprehensive investigation has begun on the matter, adding that the four suspects were in their custody.

Bomb scare in Abuja

As usual with such situations, there were several versions to the cause of the scare with some people saying that a bag dropped from a moving vehicle and those by the road side took to their heels.

Another version had it that a bag was dropped near an eatery in the area where several government offices, and private businesses as well as, the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, had their headquarters.

Some eyewitnesses said they saw a suspicious bag between Top View Hotel and the headquarters of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps office in the area and concluded that it could be an explosive.

The headquarters of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, is located on the other side of the road leading to Alvan Ikoku Way. The incident which occurred between about 3pm and 5 pm caused traffic gridlock in the area as one lane had to be closed to traffic.

However, when Anti-Bomb Policemen visited the place, it was confirmed that there no explosive in the said bag.

Locally manufactured arms

The Kogi State police Commissioner, Muhammed Katsina who briefed newsmen over the incident said three persons, (names withheld), were arrested at the factory where locally made guns were being manufactured.

Katsina said, the trio who had already confessed to have manufactured guns of different categories for men of the underworld were arrested by detectives who swooped on them at their workshop following a tip off.

According to Katsina, 10 locally made single- barreled guns, one locally made double barreled gun, two manufacturing machines and a gas cylinder were recovered at the ‘’arms workshop.’’

He further said the state command also arrested two persons, aged 25 and  26  in connection with the kidnapping of a teenage girl, Racheal Bulus from Jos.

The girl who was a Face book friend of Haruna travelled to see him only for the two to detain her and call her father asking for N200,000  ransom. The duo according to the police boss were arrested while trying to withdraw the money from their bank account in Ogane Iyale, Dekina Local Government of the state

Traders scamper in Minna over rumour of attack

As a result of the rumour of attack, the Friday prayer Mosques which were usually filled to capacity with adherents of the Islamic faith was poorly attended as many moslems chose to stay indoors as part of the rumour indicated that the central mosque was the target of the sect.

Proprietors of private schools, especially those owned by Christians, who were in session,out of fear called or sent text messages to parents/guardians to come for their wards as their fears were further heightened by the presence of soldiers and anti-riot policemen who were patrolling the town.The situation was chaotic as  parents who had their wards in schools drove recklessly to pick  their children, in the process,  causing traffic gridlock along major roads in the city, especially at the Central Mosque-Sabon-Gari round- about linking the Obasanjo shopping complex.

Taxis and commercial motorcycle drivers popularly called ‘Okada’ were not left out in the confusion that ensued. While many simply stopped business to watch the unfolding events, others made brisk business charging more than the normal cost for a drop.

Meanwhile, the police in Niger state have advised residents against spreading rumour over possible attacks and asked them to go about their normal businesses.

A statement signed by the Police Public Relation Officer, PPRO,,  Pius Edobor, solicited the support and cooperation of Nigerlites in tackling security challenges by providing the police with useful information to check criminals and people from cause breach of the peace.

Edobor described the rumoured attack as one of the gimmicks by mischief makers and assured residents of the state of their safety at all times.

Ambassador Olusegun Olusola dies at 77

The very popular veteran artist and culture enthusiast Ambassador Olusegun Olusola has passed away at the age of 77.
Olusola is reported to have died at about 6:30PM on Thursday, June 21, 2012 after a brief illness.
The cause of death still remains unknown as at the time of filing in this report.
A former Nigerian Ambassador to Ethiopia, Olusola is the creator of Village Headmaster, founder, African Refugee Foundation and Grand Patron of Nigerian Broadcasters Awards.

He was married to Elsie Olusola, a former TV presenter and actress with whom he had three children: Ronke, Jimmy and Toyin.

Elsie who passed away in 1993 once played the role of ‘Sisi Clara’ in the Village Headmaster series. He later remarried a  former classmate of his

Late Night Explosion Rocks Abuja Nite Club (Crystal lounge wuse 2):An On -the-Spot Update

An  explosion occurred  late Friday night in Abuja.The bomb  blast  went off  near Crystal Lounge at Wuse 2.”It was indeed  a bomb blast” said our correspondent who visited the scene  about 2.ooam .This is contrary to  the claim  earlier by a  source  that it might have been a  blast   from a PHCN  transformer. It was indeed  a bomb planted under a tree .The explosion occurred between 10.45pm and 11pm on Friday directly in front of Crystal lounge   almost opposite Etisalat’s  office.

Six cars were badly damaged by the explosion.One security operative at the scene claimed that no life was lost.The Army was the first to arrive at  the scene of the blast.Later the SSS and the police arrived ,our correspondent learnt.NEMA allegedly arrived the scene almost 2 hours after the blast. No  details of the casualty, if any  were  available..One of mmm360.blogspot.com reporters  who was  nearby reported hearing “one loud explosion which shook the vicinity ” as it happened.

One of the security operatives on the ground  told our correspondent that  the bomb was” planted  under  tree.And the impact of the explosion was so devastating that  the leaves  of the three were withered on the spur of the moment”

Immediately after the blast, some of those who were at  the lounge took to their heels:while some relocated to nearby night clubs just as  others went home.Our reporter  noticed the sudden influx of  fun seekers at a near- by club after the blast.

It was later learnt that people deserted some ‘joints’ on the heels of  reports of the explosion .One resident of Abuja who visited another popular ‘joint’ which was unusually empty at 1.00 am wondered why nobody was around and the worker there  asked him in return:”Oga haven’t you heard about what happened at Wuse 2?”

The explosion occurred hours after president Goodluck  Jonathan sacked General  Andrew Owoye  Azazi as National Security Adviser.Retired Colonel Sambo Dasuki was appointed as the new NSA.Also sacked was Haliru Bello, the minister of defence

DANA Management Refutes Airline’s Safety Issues, Justifies Detention Of 23 Disembarking Passengers In 2010

Several members of the aviation committee of the House of Representatives investigating the operations of Dana Airline today dueled with the company’s management over the airline’s safety record.
Members of the legislative committee shared anecdotes of their unsettling experiences, dating back to 2010, whilst traveling on the airline. However, the management of DANA Airline strongly denied knowledge of any of the safety issues raised by the legislators. In addition, the airline justified its detention of 23 passengers on a July 14, 2010 flight that had a potential air danger, citing company policy.
Captain Oscar Wilson, Dana’s director of flight operations, denied that the aircraft that crashed on June 3rd in a Lagos slum was manufactured in 1983. Instead, he insisted that the doomed aircraft was manufactured in October 1990.
Mr. Wilson also disputed claims that all the planes in the airline’s fleet are old, but he put the average age of the company’s five planes at 21 years.
The director of flight operations further told the committee that the most important factor in an aircraft was not its age but its history of regular maintenance. “A three month [old] craft can as well crash if not regularly maintained. The age of aircraft does not determine their safety or airworthiness,” argued Mr. Wilson, adding that the ill-fated plane had its last maintenance check in September 2011.
Jacky Hathramani, Dana’s Managing Director, also spoke before the committee on the condition of the crashed aircraft. He disclosed that the airline’s maintenance checks were done by a Turkey-based company called MYTECHNIC. Mr. Hathramani also stated that the crashed aircraft had its last C-Check in September 2011, but he failed to provide documents to back up his claim.
Committee chair, Nkiruka Onyejeocha, noted during the interactive session that the airline had flouted a directive in 2009 to modify the engines of a certain Dana aircraft before obtaining an airworthiness certification. Ms. Onyejeocha suggested that the company’s failure to comply posed safety risks to its passengers.
Godwin Ike, a member of the House committee, detailed his frightful experience as a passenger on a Dana flight on July 14, 2010. He disclosed that some technical hitches prevented the aircraft’s engine from starting. He said that he, alongside 22 other passengers, had sought to disembark from the aircraft, worried about the potential danger posed by the craft that had to be manually started by the pilot after the engines had failed to start in the normal way. Mr. Ike said he and 22 other passengers were detained at the airport by the Dana management, regaining their freedom only after the aircraft landed safely at its destination. He accused the airline of
poor safety measures and human rights violation.
But Mr. Wilson rejected Mr. Ike’s complaints, stating that the detention of the 23 passengers was in keeping with the company’s policy. He disclosed that, whenever a passenger disembarks from an aircraft bound for departure, the airline ensures that such passenger is detained until the craft from which he or she disembarked is confirmed to have landed safely.
Although he stated that a disembarking passenger could have planted a harmful device on a plane before deciding to disembark, he did not speak about why the company would not ground the faulty aircraft from which passengers disembarked – to provide passengers with another plane in a better condition for a safe flight.
Officials of DANA Airline also denied reports of previous technical faults with their airline. Captain Wilson said the crashed plane had never been grounded for any technical issue prior to the June 3rd crash at Iju-Ishaga in Lagos.
Following the crash of DANA Flight 992, Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom revealed that he had warned the airline of the poor safety condition of its craft. But at today’s hearing, Mr. Wilson said he was aware of Governor Akpabio’s warning, but said he wasn’t sure if the crashed aircraft was the particular one the governor Akpabio complained about.
At the hearing, a witness spoke about a slack door on a Dana flight that was rubber-taped to hold it in place for departure, but the Dana director of flight operations denied knowledge of the incident.
Miffed by the denials by Dana management, Emmanuel Okon, a member of the aviation committee, recounted a series of ugly personal experiences with the airline. He also said he was aware of occasions when the airline’s flights were aborted due to technical woes. Mr. Okon related an experience on December 28, 2011 when all passengers on a Dana aircraft had to disembark as the engine failed to start. He disclosed that a technical crew was flown from Lagos to Uyo to fix the fault. Besides, the airline was involved in an emergency landing case on May 10.
Other cited incidents included one when the plane’s gear failed to come out at landing and another, on May 28, when a Dana plane reportedly made a return after take-off, but was soon put back in operation, according to passengers.
Dana officials at today’s session said the crashed plane had been operating in Nigeria for three and a half years. Captain Wilson also disclosed that the ill-fated craft was acquired in 2008.