Lagos high court annuls sale of Nigeria air to Ethiopian airlines

A Federal High Court in Lagos has invalidated the proposed sale of Nigeria Air to Ethiopian Airlines.

On Monday, Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa declared the contractual agreement initiated by the former President Muhammadu Buhari administration to sell the national carrier to Ethiopian Airlines null and void.

The court also ordered the Nigerian Government to halt its plans to establish Nigeria Air. The judgment was in favor of the Registered Trustees of the Airline Operators of Nigeria and five other aviation industry stakeholders who brought the case before the court.

In the lawsuit, Justice Lewis-Allagoa granted all the plaintiffs’ requests except for the N2 billion damages claim.

The plaintiffs, comprising the Registered Trustees of the Airline Operators of Nigeria and five airlines (Azman Air, Air Peace, Max Air, United Nigeria Airlines, and Topbrass Aviation), sought to annul the Nigeria Air project’s bidding and selection process, as well as the approval of Ethiopian Airlines.

The defendants included Nigeria Air Limited, Ethiopian Airlines, former Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika, the Federal Ministry of Aviation, and former Attorney-General Abubakar Malami.

The court’s ruling effectively nullified the entire process and selection of Ethiopian Airlines.