Saturday, June 22, 2013

Nigerian government breaks silence on detained Kenyan plane

The Nigerian government has stated that it detained a Kenyan plane for flouting “laid down procedures.” For the past two weeks, suspicion had been that Deported Nigerian Anthony Chinedu (in picture) had detained the plane. PHOTO/FILE
The Nigerian government has stated that it detained a Kenyan plane for flouting “laid down procedures.” For the past two weeks, suspicion had been that Deported Nigerian Anthony Chinedu (in picture) had detained the plane. PHOTO/FILE  NATION MEDIA GROUP
By AGGREY MUTAMBO amutambo@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted  Friday, June 21  2013 at  22:05
The Nigerian government on Friday stated that it had detained a Kenyan plane that was used to deport controversial businessman Anthony Chinedu because it flouted “laid down procedures.”
A statement attributed to the Federal Aviation Authority of Nigeria General Manager for Public Affairs Yakubu Dati said the Kenyan aircraft breached the aviation rules and security regulations required of them.
“The aircraft which landed at the MMIA (Murtala Muhammed International Airport) at about 6:36pm with 18 passengers, including three deportees from Kenya did not follow laid down procedures.”
The FAAN further confirmed that it was withholding all the crew and Kenyan officials that had been assigned to expel the Nigerian with two other compatriots Christopher Nnanyelu and Oluwatosin but failed to explain the nature of the security procedures it had flouted.
The Nigerian authorities which had largely remained silent on the simmering dispute now contradicts Kenyan Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohammed’s statement earlier in the week that all the officials had approval to go to Nigeria, including clearance to land.
Mr Dati added that officials of the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs and some security officials “discovered some lapses during routine checks” on the aircraft registered as 5Y-SAX. The DC-9 model plane belongs to Cavok Airlines but leased by the East African Air Safari Express airlines that operated it for occasional chartered flights .
“The aircraft will be released immediately the security personnel complete their checks,” the official told reporters in Ikeja, Lagos. It is not clear what sort of “checks” were to be performed and what had transpired in the two weeks for an official statement to be released.
The Kenyan government in the meantime had insisted that it was negotiating with Nigerian authorities.
For the past two weeks, suspicion had been that Mr Chinedu had detained the Kenyans, at one time even boasting that he was now the "Nigerian official” the Kenyan government should contact.
Mr Chinedu who was having two pending cases in Kenyan courts was deported after the government argued that he was a drug trafficker.
But he has since gone to court to demand that he be returned to Kenya.

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