Nigerian carrier, Arik Air, may be in for litigation over the loss of luggage belonging to one of its passengers, Emmanuel Ebe.

Ebe, who boarded an Arik flight on September 25, 2008, had complained that he lost his luggage in a very controversial manner, a development which had led to the engagement of Juri Consulting Partners, a legal firm, to trash out the matter.

Ebe told Daily Independent that he was made by the airline to board a flight from Abuja to Warri on September 25 though he had already made a reservation for Abuja to Benin a day before.

His disappointment peaked when he discovered at the end of the trip that his luggage had been ferried to Owerri instead of Warri, his destination.

A letter addressed to the General Manager, Operations of Arik Air and signed by Igalawuye Charles, a legal practitioner on behalf of Ede disclosed that the latter had been made to undergo traumatic experience in the course of searching for his luggage which was said to contain some personal effect as well as other vital documents.

"It is our instruction that on 24th day of September, 2008 at about 5:40pm, our client called your office for flight reservation against 25th September, 2008 from Abuja to Benin City which was reserved. On 25th September when our client got to the airport to pay for the reservation from Abuja to Benin, he was told that his reservation number for Benin City was not from Abuja to Benin but from Lagos to Benin and there was no available flight from Abuja to Benin.

"Our client was, therefore, constrained to fly Abuja to Warri as he had an urgent appointment in Benin. Our client handed his luggage to your staff to check in to the Abuja-Warri flight, but getting to the tarmac to board the plane and in consonance with your procedure that passengers should identify their luggage before boarding.

"Our client luggage could not be found for identification whereupon our client complained to your Abuja office station manager, Olu Sadiku, who assisted in the search for the luggage but to no avail, consequent upon this the flight was delayed.

"Olu Sadiku in the course of investigation discovered that our client luggage was negligently routed to Owerri as against Warri and promised our client that his luggage will be located at Owerri and sent to your Benin office on 26th for our client to collect same," the letter read.

Ebe stated that he had visited the Benin office of the airline several times after the incident but had not been able to lay hands on his luggage.

He stressed that he had been made to suffer emotional and psychological trauma, mental agony in addition to damage to his health as a result of the loss of his diabetics' medication in the luggage.

An official of the Consumer Protection Unit (CPU) of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), who commented on the matter on condition of anonymity, described the offence committed by the airline as a serious one under the stipulations of the International Civil Aviation Organisation, (ICAO) and promised that the matter would be thoroughly investigated.