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Emiliano Sala: man who organised fatal flight ‘knew pilot was unqualified’

Emiliano Sala

Emiliano Sala: man who organised fatal flight ‘knew pilot was unqualified’

A plane operator who organised the flight in which the footballer Emiliano Sala was killed knew the pilot was not qualified to fly at night and was not competent in bad weather, a jury has been told.

The court heard that when David Henderson was told the plane piloted by David Ibbotson had crashed into the sea he messaged a friend: “Ibbo has crashed the Malibu and killed himself and VIP pax [passenger]! Bloody disaster. There will be an enquiry.”

He told another contact: “Opens up a whole can of worms. Keep very quiet”. And he sent a note to the plane’s engineer: “Don’t say a word to anyone.”

The single-engine Piper Malibu aircraft was flying the 28-year-old Argentinian striker from Nantes in France to Wales, where he was to join Cardiff City, then a Premier League side.

It crashed on 21 January 2019 north of Guernsey. Sala’s body was recovered from the seabed the following month, but neither the body of Ibbotson, 59, from Crowle, Lincolnshire, nor the plane’s wreckage have been recovered.

Henderson, 67, of Hotham, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, denies acting in a reckless or negligent manner likely to endanger the aircraft. The court heard how Henderson, himself a pilot, was not available to fly the aircraft himself as he was away with his wife in Paris.

The jury at Cardiff crown court heard that the football agent Willie McKay asked Henderson to arrange for Sala to be flown from Nantes to the UK. Henderson sent McKay a note: “Can you ping me over £4k as float?”

Martin Goudie QC told the jury that Henderson organised for Ibbotson to carry Sala even though he did not have a commercial pilot’s licence and he was not competent to fly in poor weather.

Goudie said: “Mr Henderson acted either negligently or recklessly in a manner that was likely to endanger [the plane] and those on it. He ignored certain requirements when it suited him and his business interests.”

The jury was told there were issues with Ibbotson’s flying the year before the tragedy. A message from a friend to Henderson in the summer of 2018 after a flight involving the pilot read: “The Ibbotson experience was interesting! He was all over the place.”

In an exchange of messages between Henderson and Ibbotson at around the same time, the operator wrote: “We both have an opportunity to make money out of the business model but not if we upset clients or draw the attention of the CAA [the Civil Aviation Authority].”

On the morning of 19 January Henderson raised the issue of bad weather with Ibbotson. The pilot flew to Nantes and informed Henderson he had had difficulties with the plane. The time for the flight back to Cardiff was pushed back to after dark on 21 January.

Goudie said: “He [Henderson] raised no issue with Mr Ibbotson flying at such a time even though he knew full well Mr Ibbotson was not qualified to fly at night.”

At 9.23pm the coastguard spoke to Henderson about the crash. He quickly contacted engineer David Smith and told him: “Don’t say a word to anyone.”

Goudie said: “The wording of this message was interesting – it’s not: ‘Isn’t it a disaster someone we’ve been working with has gone missing’; it is instead just: “Don’t say a word to anyone’.”

The prosecutor said Ibbotson had never held a commercial pilot’s licence, so he should not have been paid for being a pilot. Nor did he have a “night rating”, required for a flight to be flown between half an hour after sunset to half an hour before sunrise

The trial continues.

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2,363 Ghost Workers Uncovered by Zamfara Govt

The Zamfara State Government said it had uncovered 2,363 ghost workers following the verification of civil and public servants in the state.

Governor Dauda Lawal constituted a committee headed by the state Head of Service in August 2024 with the mandate to conduct the verification exercise of state workers.

A statement by the governor’s spokesman, Sulaiman Idris, revealed that the verification process exposed 220 minors receiving monthly pay as civil servants.

The statement noted that the verification exercise was necessary due to the state government’s efforts to implement the N70,000 minimum wage.

Idris said, “The committee’s final report submitted to Governor Dauda Lawal highlighted that 27,109 permanent workers were cleared while workers with questionable employment include 2,363 ghost workers, 1082 civil servants who are due for retirement, 395 contract staff, 261 not on the nominal roll, 213 on study leave, 220 minors in employment, and 67 workers on secondment.

“The report highlighted that 75 workers’ first appointment dates were not in compliance with the issue dates, and all of them were minors at the time of employment.

“During the verification, 2,363 ghost workers were exposed. They were paid a total of N193,642,097.19 every month.

“1082 workers are due for retirement, and they collect a total sum of N80,542,298.26 monthly. At the same time, five workers found to be on secondment were paid monthly N354,927.60.

“The verification committee recommended suspending 207 workers who were not cleared. They are paid a total salary of N16,370,645.90 monthly.

“The committee found 12 workers on the payroll but not in the database and collected a monthly salary of N726,594.

“These verification exercises are ongoing efforts to monitor the Zamfara workforce and ensure transparency and accountability in service, especially as the minimum wage payments begin in March of this year.”

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Court adjourns Ganduje’s bribery case to April 15

A Kano State High Court has fixed April 15, 2025, for the hearing of all pending preliminary objections in the case of alleged bribery and misappropriation involving the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje, his wife, Hafsat Umar, and six others.

The Kano State Government instituted an eight-count charge against the defendants, accusing them of bribery, misappropriation, and the diversion of public funds amounting to billions of naira.

The other defendants in the case include Abubakar Bawuro, Umar Abdullahi Umar, Jibrilla Muhammad, Lamash Properties Limited, Safari Textiles Limited, and Lasage General Enterprises Limited.

Court Proceedings
When the case came up for the hearing of pending applications on Thursday, the prosecution counsel, Adeola Adedipe, SAN, told the court that he was ready to proceed.

“My Lord, we have filed a motion on notice, dated February 2 and served on February 5, seeking an extension of time to enable us to regularize our preliminary objection,” Adedipe said.

Counsel for Ganduje, his wife, and Umar, Mrs. Lydia Oluwakemi-Oyewo, also indicated readiness to proceed with their defense.

However, some defense counsels requested more time to regularize their legal processes. Counsel for the 3rd and 7th defendants, Adekunle Taiye-Falola, said, “My Lord, we filed our application for an extension of time, dated December 12, 2024, to reply to our further and better affidavit on points of law. We need to regularize our processes.”

Similarly, counsel for the 5th defendant, Sunusi Musa, SAN, moved a motion on notice for an extension of time, dated and filed January 7, 2025. “Our motion is supported by a 10-paragraph affidavit and a written address. We urge the court to grant the application,” Musa stated.

While counsel for the 6th respondent, Abubakar Ahmed, informed the court that he had filed a preliminary objection dated September 9 and was ready to proceed, counsel for the 8th defendant, Ibrahim Aliyu-Nasarawa, requested additional time.

“My Lord, I am not ready to move my application. I intend to file and reply on points of law,” Aliyu-Nasarawa told the court.

Court’s Decision
After listening to the submissions, the presiding judge, Justice Amina Adamu-Aliyu, granted all the applications for an extension of time and adjourned the matter until April 15, 2025.

“The case is hereby adjourned to April 15, 2025, for the hearing of all pending preliminary objections,” Justice Adamu-Aliyu ruled.

The case, which has drawn significant public attention, is expected to proceed with the hearing of objections before moving to the substantive trial.(Channels)

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FG committed to reducing food prices through Agricultural Investments – Minister

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to lowering the cost of food commodities through massive investments in agricultural production.

Idris stated this in Abuja on Tuesday at a press briefing to kick-start the Ministerial Briefing Session for 2025.

He emphasized that while the government will not impose price controls on food commodities, in line with the principles of a free-market economy, it remains focused on reducing prices by boosting agricultural production and increasing supply.

“In the past, we used to have these commodity boards where prices were fixed but in the spirit of free market and encouraging entrepreneurship, especially within the agricultural value chain, government didn’t feel that it was necessary for them to begin to control prices. Now, what government is doing is to ensure that there is massive production of food items and it’s a supply and demand issue. Once you have whatever you need in abundance, the tendency is that the price will automatically come down,” he said.

While speaking on the successes in the security sector, Idris said in 2024, the security forces neutralized more than 8,000 terrorists and bandits, and arrested 11,600 others, with more than 10,000 weapons recovered.

He stated that with the government’s sustained efforts against terrorists and bandits, the nation’s highways are becoming increasingly safer.

“While we still have a lot of work ahead, our highways have grown safer. The hitherto notorious Abuja-Kaduna highway is one example. As I said, there’s still much more to be done, and we will not relent in our effort.

“Additionally, about 8,000 kidnap victims were successfully rescued. We will continue to work to drive down the number of victims while scaling up our success stories in terms of deterrence, crime-solving, and prosecutions,” he said.

The Minister added that, following their designation as a terrorist organization by a Federal High Court, security forces are now empowered to apply maximum force against the Lakurawa armed group.

On the economy, Idris stated that the Federal Government’s reforms are delivering significant results across key sectors, particularly with the removal of fuel subsidy, which has successfully plugged leakages amounting to hundreds of billions of Naira annually.

He said the introduction of the Electronic Foreign Exchange Matching System (EFEMS) in December 2023 has enhanced transparency in foreign exchange transactions and facilitated the clearance of billions of dollars in backlogs, and restored investor confidence to the country.

“Last week, the Naira reached an eight-month high in the official market, while foreign capital inflow into the Nigerian Stock Exchange rose from 4% in mid-2023 to an average of 16% by the end of 2024,” he said.

Additionally, he said, in 2024, Nigeria emerged as the most attractive destination for oil and gas investments in Africa, securing over $5 billion in Final Investment Decisions (FIDs).

The Minister described 2025 as a year of consolidation, building on the progress made in the first 19 months of the Tinubu administration as it approaches its mid-term.

“Over the next three months, as we approach the second anniversary of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Administration, we will bring Honorable Ministers to this platform, on a weekly basis.

“This year 2025 is a year of consolidation, a year for building on the gains we have seen in the first 19 months of the administration. This maiden edition for 2025 is an opportunity to remind us of these gains, and to set the context in which these gains are being recorded, as we proceed into the mid-point of this administration,” he said.

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