A scrap plane formerly owned by the late
Apostle Gabriel Oduyemi of Bethel Ministries, Ajah, Lagos, caused panic
in the city on Thursday as rumour spread that another aircraft had
crashed in Lagos.
It was learnt that the plane, which was
recently released to Capt Matthew Ekeinde, husband of Nollywood star,
Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, was being dragged to Badagry area of the state
before its tyre burst. The incident forced the new owner to dump the
plane in a nearby filling station.
Hundreds of residents trooped out with
their smart phones and camera, and queued behind the gate of Dapsey Oil
filling station at Igando where the plane was parked.
A senior employee of the filling station
said the plane, with registration number N972TF, was being towed from
Muritala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja to Badagry when one of the tyres burst.
He said, “The plane was brought here
around 2am after one of its tyres burst. It was being towed by a red
vehicle, but after it got to Igando, they discovered it would be
difficult to get it to its destination with burst tyre, which was why
they brought it here.”
The Lagos State Deputy Police Public Relations Officer, Damasus Ozoani, told the News Agency of Nigeria that the police provided escort for the plane.
He said, “About 12.45am, the command got a directive to escort the jet from MMIA Ikeja to Badagry by road.
“The operation was led by one Capt.
Matthew Ekeinde, but in the process of the journey, one of the jet’s
tyres burst at College Bus Stop and the jet could not move.
“It was parked at Dapsey Filling Station
along Igando for repairs. We have provided security for the plane until
it is moved to Badagry.”
NE observed that men of
The Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps were on the ground to
“ensure the safety of people” living in the area.
The Igando Divisional Police Officer, Adeoye Olugbemiga, came with his team around 12pm to control on-lookers.
In a short time, some of the residents turned the scene into an amusement park and began to pose and take shots near the plane.
One of our correspondents observed that the plane’s two wings had been chopped off and the cockpit was stuffed with nylons.
The Managing Director of the Nigerian
Airspace Management Agency, Nnamdi Udoh, in a statement, said the
aircraft had long been within the agency’s facility till Wednesday night
when it was removed.
Udoh said, “The aircraft that was
sighted by the residents was actually a junk one belonging to the late
Apostle Gabriel Oduyemi of Bethel Ministries.
“The aircraft was actually released to Capt Ekeinde who will be using it for educational purposes in Badagry, Lagos.”
Ekeinde confirmed on the telephone that the scrap plane belonged to him.
He said, “The aircraft will be situated in a multipurpose and entertainment centre which wlll be open very soon.
“When opened, the centre will be the first of its kind in West Africa.”
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These Jet Flying pastors should Learn from this. This was a Plane that once belonged to Oduyemi, Now its scrap!!!
ReplyDeleteAll airplanes will become scraps, whether owned by "jet flying" pastors or not. What exactly is your point?
ReplyDeleteChai nigerians wud neva cease to amaze m.... Posing n taking pictures near d SCRAP.....dp tinz
ReplyDeleteSola shut your trap and so what? Doesn't thesame thing happen to car owner.
ReplyDeleteShut up already sola ade or whatever u call urself...u guys always look for ways to criticise men of God
ReplyDeleteAll of us are like this scrap. We will blossom,be adored, wither, and become disused and abondoned. This scrappy plane's life is even better than ours - at least has at least found some use for it, which will be of use for humanity. What's our life worth at advanced age?
ReplyDelete@Olagunju, u re sensible. Life is a trend. One moment we re useful and at some other stage or phase of life we re useless. We should live our life in decent manner and help humanity so that at our useless stage, when arms and legs are no more strong enough to carry us around, those we've been useful to would be there to help us.
ReplyDeletePublicity Stunt..say I. Its worked tho, now we all know Matthew Ekehinde is building an Flight Simulation Center in Badagry. Cant wait to visit.
ReplyDeleteDid they have to Toll it by Road? Do they realise the Traffic it will cause? For some reasons, I doubt the I.Q of some Officials @ the helms of affairs.
ReplyDelete@Oderinde-mike, please learn to read between lines, for safety reason and to avoid traffic, the plane was moved about 1.00am or so, what better time would have recommended. It was unfortunate it had a tyre burst, u would have had a better say then. Nigerians should learn to criticize constructively
ReplyDelete