Court orders British Airways to pay Nigerian passenger N53m for breach of contract

Delivering judgment, Justice Ibrahim Kala held that Osho
endured unnecessary hardship, inconvenience, and financial losses due to the
airline’s negligence.

The court also awarded N3 million in litigation costs,
covering legal fees, summons charges, and other expenses incurred over the
prolonged duration of the case, as well as the impact of naira depreciation,
bringing total compensation to N53 million.

Justice Kala noted that Osho successfully established that
the airline violated its obligations under the international contract of
carriage when it failed to deliver his checked baggage on Flight BA307 from
Paris to London on December 2, 2022.

In its defence, British Airways argued that Osho was
responsible for his own predicament and urged the court to dismiss the claim.
The airline’s counsel also insisted that, if any costs were to be awarded, they
should not exceed N60.

The judge, however, dismissed the submission as baseless and
inconsistent with the evidence presented before the court.