About 200 passengers on Arik Air’s 3:15 p.m flight from Yola to Abuja are currently stranded in Kano after their flight was diverted to Kano and then grounded after the pilot announced a mechanical fault.

On board the flight is the new governor of Adamawa state, Bala Ngilari, and other officials of the Adamawa state government.

Flight W3 409 was scheduled for 3:15 p.m but as usual with Arik, the flight was delayed for at least an hour.

The plane then flew for close to 40 minutes. But when passengers thought they were nearing the end of their journey, a member of the cabin crew announced that it was raining in Abuja and that it would be difficult for the plane to land.

The flight was then diverted to Kano. Shortly afterwards, the airline’s officials announced the plane was refueling and would soon continue its journey.

But minutes later, the pilot announced that the plane had developed mechanical fault and would not be able to fly. He said he had contacted his company’s headquarters to send another plane to take the passengers to Abuja.

As at the time of this report at 8:30 p.m., passengers are spread on the tarmac, discussing their ordeals in small groups.