A commercial airline captain and his co-pilot have been arrested for flying an aircraft into Port Harcourt in violation of flight restrictions in and out of Rivers state.
Rivers state commissioner of police, Usman Dandaura, said apart from operating without due authorization, the airline and its pilots also brought in passengers whose health status and whereabouts are not known.
He said: “Recall that when this coronavirus issues started, there was a ban of local flight from coming into the state. Since that time we have been monitoring the activities of these private airlines.
“To our surprise, we received an intelligence report that an aircraft had landed at the Airforce base and that it was carrying some passengers. We have apprehended the Pilot and the Co-pilot by the NAF commander, that’s why they alerted the executive governor of the state who had given an order that on no account should any aircraft land in Rivers State without clearance.
“We don’t know the people they brought. Whether they are positive or negative of Coronavirus. Where are they heading to and where they came from.”
“To our surprise this morning this aircraft landed without any signal or permission from the authorities. We don’t know their mission here. Maybe they are coming here to sabotage the activities of the state and the security agencies that are putting efforts on ground to ensure that Rivers State enjoy peaceful atmosphere throughout this pandemic period”.
Samuel Ugoji and Samuel Buhari have been arraigned on a four-count charge in a Magistrate Court in Port Harcourt.
They will be remanded at the Port Harcourt Correction Centre until the nineteenth of May.
