After the crash of the Associated Airlines aircraft earlier this week, the management of the company came out to say that the plane was insured by SEMA Insurance and reinsured by Nigeria RE.
However officials of the insurance regulatory body in Nigeria, National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), have disclosed that there is no insurance company in Nigeria operating by that name.
Also a senior manager of Nigeria Reinsurance Corporation (Nigeria RE) has said that his company does not have any business with Associatd Airlines.
The manager who spoke under the condition of anonymity said, “We are surprised, but we have also taken steps to find out why our name was mentioned. We are going to counter the statement soon,” he said.
Associated Airlines is owned by Chief Lucky Igbinedion, a former Governor of Edo State who reportedly embezzled billions of Naira for the public treasury whilst he was Governor and who was found guilty of corruption charges by a Federal Court but given a slap on the wrist during the plea bargaining era.
In reaction to the allegation that the airline had no insurance, spokesman for the Federal Airport Authority, Mr. Yakubu Dati, said: “The inquiry as regards whether they have insurance cover or not can best be answered by the author of the statement.”