Hadi Sirika, the minister of state for aviation and the Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative (ART) has condemned unequivocally the actions of the Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers State- and the security operatives involved in the unlawful arrest, humiliation and detention in Port Harcourt on Tuesday 31 March 2020 of two Caverton Helicopters Pilots.

Sirika who addressed the media on Wednesday said the Police and the Air Force officers who arrested the Caverton pilots on the order of the Rivers State Government exhibited crass ignorance.

The aviation minister said Wike lacks power to arrest pilots.

A statement signed by Olumide Ohunayo a member of ART condemned the purported sham prosecution and trial orchestrated by the Rivers State Government at a time when courts have been placed on lockdown by the Chief Justice of Nigeria.

“While we note and acknowledge the deadly nature of the Coronavirus currently ravaging the global community and the need for all hands to be on deck in the fight to contain its spread, we condemn in totality, the flagrant disregard of the authorisation, approvals including exemption granted Caverton Helicopters and other operators of essential services by the Federal Ministry of Aviation and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority.

“These reckless actions are capable of leading to a situation of anarchy which the nation cannot afford at these challenging times,” Ohunayo stated.

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ART equally urged the federal authorities to guard against possible abuse of the exemptions and approvals of flights in order not to erode the efficacy of the efforts of those charged with the containment of the spread of COVD -19 and the violation of the lockdown imposed in their various areas of responsibility.

“We also urge all aviation operators granted dispensation to carry out essential services to collaborate and support the efforts of their host state governments in the bid to contain the scourge of Coronavirus- 19.

“We therefore demand an immediate unconditional release from custody of the two Caverton Helicopters Pilots namely: Capts Samuel Ugorji and Samuel Buhari and a withdrawal of the charges preferred against them without further delay,” he added.

 

IFEOMA OKEKE

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha is the Aviation Correspondent at BusinessDay Media Limited, publishers of BusinessDay Newspapers. She is also the Deputy Editor, BusinessDay Weekender Magazine, the Saturday Weekend edition of BusinessDay. She holds a BSC in Mass Communication from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Masters degree in Marketing at the University of Lagos. As the lead writer on the aviation desk, Ifeoma is responsible and in charge of the three weekly aviation and travel pages in BusinessDay and BDSunday. She also overseas and edits all pages of BusinessDay Saturday Weekender. She has written various investigative, features and news stories in aviation and business related issues and has been severally nominated for award in the category of Aviation Writer of the Year by the Nigeria Media Nite-Out awards; one of the Nigeria’s most prestigious media awards ceremonies. Ifeoma is a one-time winner of the prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Award under the 'Aviation Writer of the Year' Category. She is the 2025 Eloy Award winner under the Print Media Journalist category. She has undergone several journalism trainings by various prestigious organisations. Ifeoma is also a fellow of the Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.

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