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Dana Air Crash: Coroner’s inquest begins in Lagos

A Magistrate and the Coroner of Alimosho District in Lagos, Oyetade Alexander Komolafe, on Monday began an inquest into the death of the victims of … Continue reading Dana Air Crash: Coroner’s inquest begins in Lagos


Dana Air crash site in iju ishaga

A Magistrate and the Coroner of Alimosho District in Lagos, Oyetade Alexander Komolafe, on Monday began an inquest into the death of the victims of the Dana Air Flight 992 that crashed on Sunday, 3rd June at Iju-Ishaga, area of Lagos.

Dana Air crash site in iju ishaga

About 200 people lost their lives in that incident.

The inquest was ordered last Thursday by the Coroner-judge of Lagos State, Justice Lateefah Okunnu following a request made by the law firm of Falana and Falana.

At the first sitting of the Coroner on Monday, Funmi Falana told Magistrate Komolafe that the Law firm of Olisa Agbakoba was also interested in the matter as they had also filed a similar request for an inquest.

The coroner then granted an application that the request from the 2 law firms should be consolidated.

Magistrate Komolafe also granted an application to summon certain persons and agencies before the Coroner in line with the relevant laws for the conduct of such a proceeding.

Persons expected to appear before the court while the inquest lasts includes, the Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah, Assistant Inspector-General of Police for Lagos and Ogun States, representatives of Dana Airline, officials of the National Airspace Management Agency(NAMA), Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria(FAAN), the Lagos State Police Command, the Lagos Airport Command of the Police and the Lagos State Fire Service.

Others are the officials of the Lagos State Emergency Management Authority (LASEMA), Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), the Nigerian Red Cross, Cleanserve Oil, Sahara Oil, MRS, AP, Total, Conoil, Nigerian Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers, Relatives of victims of the plane crash and those on the ground, surviving victims, among others.

Magistrate Komolafe adjourned the inquest proceedings till 12 July to allow the agencies and parties to be served and to enable the chambers of Olisa Agbakoba to prepare for the inquest.

In the request to the coroner judge, Mr. Femi Falana wrote that his firm had confirmed that the aircraft was allowed to fly even though it was defective.

Mr Falana said that the distress call made by the pilot of the ill-fated aircraft several minutes before the crash was ignored by the Airport Authorities while the management of the disaster was crude as members of the public had to use bare hands in their rescue operations.

He had drawn on Section 15 of the Lagos State Coroner’s Law 2007 which provides that an inquest shall hold whenever a Coroner is informed that the death of a person within his District was “in a violent, unnatural or suspicious situation.”