The Federal High Court in Lagos declared the sale of Nigeria Air Ltd to Ethiopian Airlines null and void on Monday.
In his judgment, Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa ordered that the Federal Government should not proceed with the proposed establishment of a national carrier, Nigeria Air.
The judge issued this order while granting the reliefs sought by the plaintiffs, the Registered Trustees of the Airline Operators of Nigeria, and five other entities in the aviation industry.
Justice Lewis-Allagoa granted all reliefs sought, save for a request for ₦2 billion in damages for the plaintiffs’ injury caused by their illegal exclusion and unlawful bidding and selection processes for the Nigeria Air project.
The six plaintiffs named in the claim are the Registered Trustees of the Airline Operators: Azman Air Services Limited, Air Peace Limited, Max Air Limited, United Nigeria Airlines Company Limited, and Topbrass Aviation Limited.
The suit was filed against the first to fourth defendants: Nigeria Air Limited, Ethiopian Airlines, Senator Hadi Sirika (former Minister of Aviation), and the Attorney-General of the Federation.
The plaintiffs asked the court to invalidate the complete bidding and selection process for the Nigeria Air project, as well as the endorsement, allocation, or selection of Ethiopian Airlines by the former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, and the former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami.