Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Sasha's helicopter seized by school!!


A prestigious school in Nigeria has refused to let a helicopter, rented by a singer, take off after it landed on their Lagos playing field.

Nigerian hip-hop star Sasha was trying to go shopping in a nearby upmarket suburb, police told the BBC.

But the school said she did not ask for permission to land and is reportedly asking for $100,000 (£56,772) before it will release the helicopter.

Lagos, Nigeria's commercial capital, is very congested with traffic.

Helicopters are becoming a more popular way for Lagos's rich to get around, correspondents say.

Sasha, also known as Yetunde Antonia Alabi, is one of Nigeria's best-known female hip-hop stars.

The principal of the British International School in Lagos, Howard Bullock, told the BBC the matter was "being resolved" and would not comment further.

Shopping trip

Local media reported that the pilot had first landed at the University of Lagos and in the grounds of Cadbury Nigeria's head office, before finally coming to rest in the British International School nearly two weeks ago.

The pilot did not land at his intended destination, the Shoprite supermarket, because of construction work, Nigeria's The Punch newspaper reported.

The Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Harold Demuren, told Nigeria's This Day newspaper the matter was being resolved.

"Yes, it happened. The helicopter landed in a wrong place and the school is holding on to the helicopter. But after the State Security Service and the NCAA cleared the chopper everything is being resolved," he said.

The police said they were not investigating the matter further.

"It was established that this was not a criminal matter and left for the school to sort out with aviation authorities," police spokesman Frank Mbah told the BBC News website.

Sometimes it can take six hours to get from the mainland to the islands in the lagoon where Lagos' upmarket areas are.

In recent weeks a major bridge to Lagos Island has been closed for repair, making traffic even worse.- courtesy BBC NWS