A Port Harcourt Chief Magistrates’ Court, presided over by Chief Magistrate D. D. Ihua-Maduenyi Esq, has ordered the remand of 10 passengers, who flew into the Air Force Base Port Harcourt on board the Twin-Otter Caverton Helicopters, on ground of contravention of paragraph 8 of the Rivers state Executive Order RVSG-01 2020.
The defendants, who pleaded not guilty to a four-count charge preferred against them by the State, were ordered to be remanded at any government facility to enable medical personnel from the State carry out test to determine their coronavirus (COVID-19) status.
The prosecution team was led by Prof. Z. Adangor, Hon. Attorney-General And Commissioner for Justice, Rivers State.
The same Court had on Tuesday remanded two pilots of Caverton Helicopters, Samuel Ugorji and Samuel Buhari in prison custody, for allegedly disobeying the Executive Order issued by the Rivers State Governor aimed at checking the spread of coronavirus in the state.
The Court remanded the two pilots at the Port Harcourt Custodial Centre till May 19, 2020 when their trial will commence.
Chief Magistrate Ihua-Maduenyi ruled that COVID-19 tests be carried out on the two pilots to ascertain their status.
The Pilots, who were arrested by the Rivers State Police Command, were arraigned by the Police via charge number:PMC/532C/2020.
Prosecution Counsel and Officer-in-charge, Legal of the Rivers State Police Command, Superintendent of Police, Gladys Amadi, told the court that the acts of the two pilots were capable of putting the entire State in danger of contracting coronavirus.
She urged the court to remand them in prison custody to enable the police conclude its investigation.
She noted that allowing the accused persons roam the streets will endanger others in the state.
‘Detention is unjust’
Meanwhile Caverton says detention of its pilots in Rivers was unjust, saying it got the necessary approvals to operate since the COVID-19 lockdown began.
The company called on the Federal Government to urge the Rivers State government to release its pilots, saying they “violated no law and are being unduly punished for reasons we still do not understand.”
The statement read: “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.
“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 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.”
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