A Nigerian court has said that Kayode Odukoya, Chairman and CEO of First Nation Airways (Lagos), would face trial in relation to the NGN1.7 billion naira (USD4.7 million) theft charges, Omega News has reported.
Odukoya previously sought to strike out the charges due to procedural reasons as he alleged that the court had exceeded its jurisdiction.
The court, however, said that Odukoya's motion was an abuse of process of the court. The court will proceed with the trial between November 7 and November 9.
Odukoya was charged with theft from Skye Bank in 2016, as well as three other counts of forgery, use of the false documents, and perjury by the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). First Nation Airways itself and Bellview Airlines (Lagos), First Nation's predecessor which went bankrupt in 2010, are also charged as defendants in the case. Odukoya denies all charges.
In May 2018, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) suspended the Air Operator's Certificate (AOC) of First Nation Airways for violating the terms of its operations specifications, namely continuing to operate scheduled flights despite having authorisation only for charters. The NCAA reinstated the AOC in June, although the carrier has not yet resumed any operations.
First Nation Airways has two A319-100s on its AOC, both currently inactive.
