The lawfirm of Olisa Agbakoba & Associates has disclosed that it is compiling a database of all persons affected in whatsoever manner by the Dana air plane crash of June 3 towards presenting a comprehensive clash action suit on behalf of the victims.
In a statement dated June 11, the law firm said this followed approaches made to it by some victims to represent them in enforcement of their rights and claims emanating from the crash.
“This is a complementary public interest litigation and advocacy initiative by the Firm to support those who have suffered varying degree of losses,” the statement said, noting that the suit will be commenced soon.
To that end, the law firm wrote to Dana Airlines on June 15 to inform the airline that it has received instructions to act as legal counsel to the relatives of Mr. Jones Ifekanwa, one of the victims of the crash, as well as others, of the impending suit.
“By this letter we put Dana Airlines Limited on notice that we intend to file a suit against it based on a Class Action for the enforcement of our Clients’ claims for compensation and enforcement of their collective right to sue emanating from the said crash which caused the untimely death of 153 persons on the aircraft,” the letter said.
Declaring its claims, the law firm noted that experience has shown that compensation, when promised was never paid to beneficiaries of air crash victims.
“To ensure that Dana Airline’s promises of compensation are implemented we shall call for disclosures regarding insurance policies on the aircraft to ensure that the airline has adequate insurance in place to compensate our clients,” it said.
It expressed its preparation to open talks with Dana Airlines on behalf of its clients to ascertain its plan to effect immediate compensation, noting that it has final instructions to proceed with the court action should the airline not be disposed to dialogue.
In its June 11 statement, Olisa Agbakoba & Associates urged interested persons to contact the firm at its offices at 34 Creek Road, Apapa, Lagos. Its contact information is as follows:
Telephone: 234-1-7750985, 7756435, 2790915 -6, Fax: 2716938
E-mail: olisa@agbakoba-associates .com
Website: www.agbakoba-associates.com
It also listed the following contact persons:
Victor Nwakasi - 08037194044
Adebola Sobowale - 08034624527
Isi – 08065220644
Tokunbo-08033086808
Lilian - 08033339990
Also on June 11, Olisa Agbakoba and Associates/HURILAWS wrote to the Chief Coroner Lagos State, requesting an inquest into the crash as provided under Section 15 (1) of the Coroners System Law 2007 of Lagos state. That law provides that the coroner shall convene such an inquest “whenever he is informed that the death of a deceased person lying within his Coroners District was a result of death in a violent, unnatural or suspicious situation.”
It may be recalled that following previous contact from another lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, Lagos State Chief Coroner Justice L. A. Okunnu last week approved an inquest.
In a letter on June 14, Justice Okunnu ordered Magistrate O.A Komolafe, the Coroner of Alimosho District, to “conduct an inquest as desired, and thereafter send to me a copy of your findings and recommendations in that regard.”
In his request to the Chief Coroner, Mr. Falana wrote as follows: “We have confirmed that the aircraft was allowed to fly even though it was defective. 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 the rescue operations.”
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