Breaking News:FOI Coalition File Suit Against Min Of Aviation For None Disclosure Of Crash Records Since Independence

The Freedom of Information Coalition, a pressure group that galvanized the passage of the Freedom of Information law today filed a suit against the Federal ministry of Aviation for none disclosure of the records of all plane crashes in Nigeria since independence as requested by the coalition in line the FOI Law.

This is the full statement and suit...CKN

PRESS STATEMENT

We filed a suit against the Honourable Minister of Aviation and the Ministry of Aviation today, the 22^nd of June 2012, at the Federal High Court, Abuja as a result of their failure or refusal to release to us the Reports of all air incidents or accidents since November 20, 1969 to date as requested in our letter of 13^th June 2012. So far they have not given any explanation for their refusal to comply with clear and express provision of the Freedom of Information Act 2011.

In the suit in which our General Counsel, Bamidele Aturu Esq, is Applicant, we are seeking the following relief, namely:

1.     AN ORDER granting leave to the Applicant to apply for judicial review and to seek the following relief:

a.     AN ORDER of mandamus directing and or compelling the 1^st and the 2^nd Respondents to disclose to or make available to the Applicant or grant him access to the information requested by him in his letter dated the 13^th June, 2012 concerning the following air incidents or accidents that occurred on the dates and in respect of the aircrafts shown below:

- November 20, 1969: Nigeria Airways BAC VC10

- December 1988: Skypower Brandeironte aircraft

- 26 Jun 1991; Okada Air BAC-111
- February 24, 1991: British Helicopter
- May 21, 1991: A Cessna Citation 550
- June 26, 1991: An Okada Air Bac-11
- July 11, 1991: Nigeria Airways DC-8-61
- September 26, 1992: Nigerian Air Force A C-130
- June 24, 1995: Harka Air Services Tupolev 34
- November 13, 1995: Nigeria Airways Boeing 737-2F9
- November 7, 1996: A Nigerian ADC (Aviation Development Corporation) Airline Boeing 727-231
- January 31, 1997: SkyPower Express Airways Embraer 110PIA

- September 12, 1997: A NAF Dornier 228-212
- January 5, 2000: SkyPower Express Airways Bandeirante 110P1A
- October 26, 2000: Dornier aircraft
- May 4, 2002: EAS Airlines’ BAC 1-11-500
- November 30, 2003, a Cargo aircraft
- March 6, 2004: An aenail spray aircraft with registration number 5NBEF
- July 26, 2004: Pan African Airlines’ helicopter
- December 29, 2004: A Boeing 727 of Chanchangi Airlines
- December 29, 2004: A Kenya Airlines aircraft
- January 28, 2005: A Nigeria Air Force fighter plane 
- February 25, 2005: ADC's B73 aircraft
- March 27, 2005: A Boeing 737 of Bellview
- June 11/12, 2005: Lagos: a Boeing 727-200 aircraft

- June 24, 2005: A Russian aircraft belonging to Harka Air
- July 6, 2005, Port Harcourt: an Air France A330 plane

- July 23, 2005, a Lufthansa aircraft

- October 22, 2005: A Bellview Airlines Boeing 737

- December 10, 2005: A Sosoliso Airlines DC-
- September 17, 2006: A 18-seater Dornier 228 Air Force transport plane

- October 29, 2006: Aviation Development Corporation Airline Boeing 737

- November 10, 2006: OAS Service Helicopter

- August 2, 2007: Bristow-owned helicopter

- March 15, 2008: Beechcraft 1900D plane

- March 14, 2012: A Helicopter belonging to the Joint Task Force (JTF)

-June 3^rd 2012- DANA Aircraft crash.

The suit which has been numbered as FHC/ABJ/392/2012 has not yet been assigned to any court, nor has any date been given to us for mention. As soon as we get a date we shall keep members of the public posted.

Thank you and God bless

Bamidele Aturu Esq