Caverton Helicopters has asked the federal government to
prevail on the Rivers state government to release two of its pilots detained
over alleged illegal flight operations.
According to a statement by the aircraft, two of its pilots
were arrested and charged to court on Tuesday on the orders of Nyesom Wike, the
governor.
It explained that while the federal government banned flight
operations, the aircraft was given permission to continue operations for the
oil and gas sector.
It added that despite the approval it got from ministry of
aviation and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), its pilots, who
tendered relevant documents, were charged to a magistrate’s court and remanded
in custody till May 19.
A copy of the approval granted the aircraft by the NCAA allowed the company to provide support services to the oil and
gas sector for an initial period of three months effective April 1.
“At the start of the COVID -19 lockdown, we received a
letter from our client stating that they have been given approval/ exemption to
fly and continue operations. We (Caverton along with three other companies)
also received approval from the Minister of Aviation to fly only essential
services, mainly in the Oil and Gas industry,” the company said in a statement.
 |
| When Wike visited Caverton Helicopters office earlier in the day |
“Lastly, we got another approval from the Nigerian Civil
Aviation Authority (NCAA) to fly for this same oil and gas sector. We have been
flying along these guidelines for the past seven days.
“Today, we were informed that the Governor of Rivers State,
Mr Nyesom Wike was coming to address the operators in Port Harcourt and our
people waited. But on arriving, the governor directed two of our pilots to be
taken to CID where they were told to write statements.
“Despite all pleas by our lawyers who showed all the
relevant documents, they were taken to the magistrate’s court and charged. At
the court, our lawyers also presented all the documentations approving us to
fly by the federal government but the case was closed and the pilots have been
remanded in Port Harcourt prison till the 19th May.
“We appeal to the federal government to urge the Rivers
State government to release our pilots who violated no law and are being unduly
punished for reasons we still do not understand.”
In the charge sheet, the pilots identified as Samuel Ugorji
and Samuel Buhari, pilot and co-pilot respectively, and some “others now at
large”, were accused of conducting themselves in a “manner likely to cause a
breach of peace by flying and discharging passengers from the Twin-Otter
Caverton Helicopters at the Air Force Base”.
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