On 6 May 2009, Ayodeji Omotade appeared in Brent magistrates court more than fourteen months after he was forcibly removed from a British Airways flight to Nigeria before it took off from Heathrow.
In an earlier post, Good Neighbour on Trial?, I wrote:
Ayodeji Omatode, an IT consultant living in Kent, boarded a British Airways flight at Heathrow on March 27, 2008, going home to Lagos for his brothers wedding. Along with other passengers he was appalled at the maltreatment of a Nigerian man being forcibly deported on the flight and he made his views clear.BA employees called the police to deal with Mr Omatode, and more than 20 officers boarded the plane and dragged him off; he was handled roughly, thrown against a wall and then into a police van, arrested and held for eight hours. BA banned him from flying with them, didnt return his fare and only gave him his luggage back a week later – damaged.
Protester outside BAs Waterside HQ near Heathrow
My post came after photographing a demonstration organised by the Respect Nigerians Coalition. They called on BA to apologise and compensate Mr Omatode, to withdraw their allegations and their ban on him flying and improve its attitude to customers and stop practices that make it appear arrogant, uncaring and discriminatory. Other UK groups supporting the campaign and call for a boycott of BA flights until these demands were met included the All African Womens Group and Global Women’s Strike.
Yesterday he was cleared of behaving in a threatening, abusive, insulting or disorderly manner towards the crew, and the district judge decided he had made a “forcible but polite complaint” and that there was no evidence he had been threatening, abusive, insulting or disorderly towards BA staff.
There were nine witnesses called by BA, including their own staff, police, G4 security and immigration officers, but their evidence contradicted each other. Mr Omatode’s defence was impeded by BA, who refused to make the passenger list available to his defence lawyer, and he was only able to call two witnesses as well as his own testimony. You can read a fuller account in The Guardian.
Mr Omotade commented:
“It has been a horrific experience for me and my family, going through a year of criminal proceedings in which British Airways, the Metropolitan Police, Immigration security officers, and the Crown Prosecution Service constructed a false and malicious case against me.”
and
“The truth has finally prevailed, and I have been completely vindicated. I spoke out as I expect anyone would do. I paid a price because I could not look the other way. I am in the process of putting my life together again. Justice has been served. I have been delivered from the claws of British Airways corporate tyranny.”
It was indeed an expensive case for him, as he was refused legal aid, and although the Nigerian High Commission had promised to help they failed to do so.
Mr Omotade is demanding an apology and full compensation for his coast and the brutal treatment he recieved and for his family in Nigeria who had to buy clothes and wedding rings to replace those he was bringing out with him from England. He also wants to know from the immigration authorities what happened to the man who was being deported.
A BA spokesman stated that they had a legal obligation to carry deportees and therefore any call for an apology should be directed to the police and CPS. Since it was their staff who called for the removal of Mr Omotade and later persisted with the false allegations and ban this appears a ridiculous position.
More pictures from last year’s demo outside BA’s Waterside HQ on My London Diary.