Two Caverton pilots have been remanded in prison custody after being arrested for violating the order by the Rivers State Government to close all borders, including the airspace, and flying in expatriates into the state.
The pilots, Samuel Urgoji and Samuel Buhari, were arraigned in a Chief Magistrate Court on 4 count charge for disobeying the Executive Order issued by the Rivers State Governor, Mr. Nyesom Wike, aimed at controlling the spread of COVID-19 in the state.
Chief Magistrate D. D. Ihua-Maduenyi ordered a medical test to be conducted on the pilots to determine their health status and also ruled that they be remanded in prison until May 19, 2020 when their trial will commence.
Caverton objected to the court’s directive to remand their pilots in prison custody, insisting that they had received approval from the Minister of Aviation to operate essential services during the lockdown.
Stating,
“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 May 19.”
The company appealed 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.”