A Federal High Court in Lagos has invalidated the sale of Nigeria Air to Ethiopian airlines, declaring the transaction null and void.
After reviewing the case’s arguments, the court invalidated the sale in a ruling on Monday.
Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa ordered the suspension of the federal government’s plans to establish Nigeria Air as the national carrier.
The court’s ruling was in favour of the Registered Trustees of the Airline Operators of Nigeria, along with five other stakeholders in the aviation industry, who had brought the lawsuit challenging the sale of Nigeria Air to Ethiopian Airlines.
Justice Lewis-Allagoa granted all the plaintiffs’ requested reliefs in his ruling, but he denied their claim for N2 billion in damages.
The plaintiffs in the case include the Registered Trustees of the Airline Operators of Nigeria, Azman Air Services Limited, Air Peace Limited, Max Air Limited, United Nigeria Airlines Company Limited, and Topbrass Aviation Limited.
The defendants are Nigeria Air Limited, Ethiopian Airlines, the former Minister of Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, the Federal Ministry of Aviation, and the former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami.
The plaintiffs requested that the court invalidate the entire bidding and selection process for the Nigeria Air project, including the defendants’ approval and selection of Ethiopian Airlines.
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