The Federal High Court in Lagos has adjourned till November 12, 2025, to hear a lawsuit filed by a security expert, Alhaji Ahmed Rabiu, against Virgin Atlantic Airways over an alleged breach of contract and the loss of his luggage.
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The hearing, initially scheduled for Wednesday, was stalled as the presiding judge, Justice Alexander Owoeye, did not sit.
Court officials informed the parties that the judge was attending a conference outside Lagos.
Rabiu is seeking $4,000 as compensation for the value of items lost in his luggage and N20m, in damages for distress, inconvenience, and legal expenses incurred while trying to recover the missing bag.
He alleged that his luggage disappeared on a Virgin Atlantic flight from London to Lagos on September 24, 2024, and that contrary to the airline’s claim, he was never compensated or offered a replacement.
In his statement of claim, the plaintiff maintained that his action is well-founded since the airline has not denied that his luggage went missing while in its custody.
However, Virgin Atlantic blamed its inability to trace the luggage on Rabiu’s alleged failure to provide adequate information on the Property Irregularity Form given to him after he reported the loss.
The airline denied all allegations of fraud, recklessness, and negligence, insisting that it handled the matter in line with international aviation standards.
In an affidavit supporting his claim, Rabiu said he boarded Flight No. CNY3JV from London-Heathrow Airport to Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, after proper security checks, and that his luggage was duly tagged and handed over to the airline’s operational staff.
Upon arrival, he said he waited at the baggage carousel until it stopped running, only to discover that every other passenger had received their luggage except him.
Rabiu stated that he immediately reported the incident to Virgin Atlantic staff, who asked him to complete a Loss of Baggage Form, which he did, but that the airline failed to locate his bag, replace it, or pay for its contents.
He said his lawyers later wrote a demand letter to the airline seeking recovery of the luggage or compensation, but received no satisfactory response.
Rabiu described the airline’s failure to deliver his luggage as a “massive breach of contract,” especially after he had spent heavily on the flight ticket.
He also argued that the defendant’s statement of defence was “dilatory, vexatious, and a deliberate attempt to escape liability” despite evidence of negligence.
Virgin Atlantic, however, maintained that Rabiu is not entitled to N20m, damages and that any liability, if found, would be limited by the Montreal Convention 1999, as incorporated into the Nigerian Civil Aviation Act, 2023.
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