Breach of contract: Court awards N18m damages against Chanchangi

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has awarded the sum of N18 million as general damages against Chanchangi Airline for gross breach of contract and corporate negligence in favour of  a suit instituted by one of its passengers, Mrs. Rafishat Apollo.
Presiding judge, Hon. Justice Adeniyi Ademola, gave the judgement yesterday in a suit instituted by one Mrs. Rafishat Apollo, a resident of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, against the management of the airline.

The plaintiff had approached the court seeking to compel the airline operator to pay her the sum of N10 million, as general damages, for the failure of Chanchangi to deliver the plaintiff’s goods from Lagos to Abuja in December 2011.
In the plaintiff’s statement of claim, she sought an order of the court to direct the defendant (Chanchangi) to pay the sum of N5 million, as general damages, for breach of contract amongst others.

When the matter came for hearing, the plaintiff informed the court, through her counsel, P.N Njoku, that she had written the defendant on several occasions, requesting for the release of the said box, but that Chanchangi never replied.
She submitted to the court that the defendant was reckless and negligent in the loss of her box and the goods therein.
Delivering judgement in the case, Justice Adeniyi held that: “This honourable court has granted all the reliefs sought in the plaintiff’s statement of claim; following the refusal of the defendant to turn up for at the hearings of the matter after it entered appearance in the case.”