The lawyer claims his Arik Air flight was delayed landing in Abuja for 30 minutes
Article | June 21, 2012 - 5:31pm | By Chidi Okoye
Falana wants to know who kept him in the air.

Popular lawyer and human rights activist, Femi Falana, has demanded that the federal government reveal the identity of the VIP whose movement caused a partial closure of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja, last Tuesday.

Falana, who was on an Arik Air Flight W3 271, said the plane stayed in the air for an extra 30 minutes after it approached Abuja from Lagos because the airspace was closed.

“Having regards to the June 3, 2012 Dana plane crash in Lagos, which killed all the 153 passengers and crew on board, as well as 10 other persons in their homes, I was subjected to unwarranted mental and psychological torture,” he said. “Most other passengers on board were equally traumatised as the Arik plane was forced to hover in the air for 25 minutes.

When the plane eventually landed, I was reliably informed that there had been a restriction of movement at the airport for over one hour. In the process, the fundamental right of hundreds of people to freedom of movement was violated by the airport authorities at the instance of the said Very Important Personality.”

In a letter he sent to the Ministry of Aviation, Falana demanded to know the identity of the said VIP so as to enable him institute legal action against the person. “In the light of the foregoing I am compelled to request you to furnish me with the name of the said Very Important Personality to enable me to sue him for endangering the lives of over 150 passengers,” the letter read.

This request, he said, is made pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, 2011 which has imposed a duty on all public officers to make requested information available to members of the public.

“Take notice; that if you fail or refuse to accede to my request within seven days of the receipt of this letter, I shall not hesitate to apply for an order of mandamus at the Federal High Court with a view to compelling you to disclose the identity of the said Very Important Personality forthwith,” he stated.

str8_talk: Let's call a spade a spade.
GEJ's govt. is d most inept,corrupt,mindless,greedy enterprise we hv ever witness in Nigeria.
He has amount 2 d biggest clown of d millenium.

PresGEJ: Fellow Nigerians,

Greetings from Brazil.

It wasn't me oh! I was already on my way to Rio De Janeiro when this happened - Come to think of it; they didn't even close the airport for me!!!

I suspect THE CABAL. They all have private jets, you know.

I will ensure the airport is closed when I return. How can these small-small boys, without PhDs and bowler hats, get preferential treatment over Mr. President? Rubbish.

PS: I didn't know Femi Falana is afraid to die o, with all his big mouth!

PSS: @OP, you can't even spell F-a-l-a-n-a! Shame. If you're from UNN, don't worry, you will soon become OOU - Odumegbu Ojukwu University.

Long live Nigeria.

Your Presido.

Spirit of Okija:

Since we are calling spades by there real name now, let me also take this opportuinity to call you by yours; An I'mbecile..

Kolababa: It has been the practice of GEJ and his wife to be closing down the air space whenever they are travelling at least an hour to their departure. I work in the airport and I see what is happening there.
This inhuman practice must stop.

PresGEJ: Fellow Nigerians,

Greetings from Brazil.

It wasn't me oh! I was already on my way to Rio De Janeiro when this happened - Come to think of it; they didn't even close the airport for me!!!

I suspect THE CABAL. They all have private jets, you know.

I will ensure the airport is closed when I return. How can these small-small boys, without PhDs and bowler hats, get preferential treatment over Mr. President? Rubbish.

PS: I didn't know Femi Falana is afraid to die o, with all his big mouth!

PSS:[b] @OP, you can't even spell F-a-l-a-n-a! Shame. If you're from UNN, don't worry, you will soon become OOU - Odumegbu Ojukwu University.

Long live Nigeria.

Your Presido.[/b]

oddy4real:
Don't mind the idiot. All those names he called GEJ are for his father that nobody knows.
And by the way, GEJ isn't in Nigeria and so whoever should blame him for this is an idiot

9-zeros:

GEJ, is dat u?
so u cant even spell 'ODUMEGWU'?. indeed, u're supposed to be a fisherman.

CHESSBOARD:
@ the bolded, u cant even spell it and I know your were even scared to called the name... ODUM-EGWU..... It means LION and FEAR!!!!,

Kolababa: It has been the practice of GEJ and his wife to be closing down the air space whenever they are travelling at least an hour to their departure. I work in the airport and I see what is happening there.
This inhuman practice must stop.

oddy4real:
would you just hold it! It is the practice everywhere in the world that whenever there is VIP movement in the airport, then no other plane can land. Go and ask if another plane can land in the USA if Obama is landing. And this didn't start with GEJ. U don't have to find a way to link him to every imbroglio

oddy4real:
would you just hold it! It is the practice everywhere in the world that whenever there is VIP movement in the airport, then no other plane can land. Go and ask if another plane can land in the USA if Obama is landing. And this didn't start with GEJ. U don't have to find a way to link him to every imbroglio

Kolababa: It has been the practice of GEJ and his wife to be closing down the air space whenever they are travelling at least an hour to their departure. I work in the airport and I see what is happening there.
This inhuman practice must stop.

Delafruita:
your ignorance is profound.america's presidential fleet has its own runway which was built to prevent air traffic disruption.i agree its a practice all over the world but its not as inhumane as it is in nigeria.for eample the british prime minister is alloted five minutes of airspace closure,same for france.but here in nigeria,even when patience is still applying make-up,airspace would have been closed

PresGEJ:

You and Spirit of Okija are true Nigerians. . .Clap for yourselves! Intelligence report says str8_talk is a Rwandan; remember my boys beat them in football last Saturday.





'ODUMEGBU' is the Ijaw spelling of 'ODUMEGWU', what is your wahala? I want an Ijaw touch on UNN: Odumegbu Ojukwu University. If you don't like it, wait until 2019 - You know I will win again in 2015, don't you?

Also, intelligent Nigerians (I hear you have many of them on NL too) do not talk back to their President. You Moshood Abiola University kids/grads have a lot to learn.

GAR3TH:

actually thats false, atleast regarding the USA. In America we dont close of airspace just for the president or government officials to land. They may clear a holding pattern or an approach pattern for the aircraft but they wont close the airport or the airspace of that airport just for a VIP.

Even when Obama and other international leaders came to New york for the United Nations Summit they did not close down any airspace or the airports. Commercial airliners were landing and taking off at JFK, La Guardia, Newark international etc before, during and after the UN summit.

America does have restricted airspace, such as over the white house, over a military base and a few kilometers around airforce one [during flight] but they never closed down an airport's airspace.

Even when GEJ and other world leaders went to Canada for the G-8 summit, that airport's airspace wasn't shut down.

you can see in the background that commercial airliners and flights are still operating.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fURauetkIGE


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmTJf1_RW04&feature=relmfu