Air Peace, a private Nigerian airline has dissociated itself from the arrest of Joe Ajaero, the president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
The Department of State Services (DSS) arrested Ajaero on Monday, September 9, 2024, at Abuja’s Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport while on his way to the United Kingdom to attend a Trade Union Congress meeting.
Following his arrest, Omotade Makinwa, the spokesperson for the airline issued a statement debunking the media reports insinuating that the labour leader was arrested over a petition by the airline.
According to Makinwa, the reports have created negative publicity for the airline.
He explained that even though the airline submitted a petition in May 2023, when the NLC disrupted the airline’s operation during the union’s conflict with the Imo State Government, the police did not act on the petition.
“Air Peace Airline expresses deep concern over recent media reports regarding the arrest of the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in connection to a petition filed by the airline in September 2023. This development, which has led to negative publicity, does not reflect the current relationship between Air Peace and the NLC.
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“It is important to clarify the events leading up to the petition. On May 3, 2023, the NLC disrupted Air Peace operations as part of a broader conflict with the Imo State Government. Although Air Peace had no involvement in the dispute between the NLC and the Imo State Government, our airline was unfortunately used as a tool to exert pressure on the government. This unlawful disruption of our services caused significant financial losses and impacted the travel plans of many Nigerians across multiple states.
“In response to this disruption, Air Peace’s legal team submitted a formal petition against the NLC to the Nigerian Police. Despite our repeated efforts to follow up on the petition, the police failed to take prompt action.”
Over a year later, Makinwa said the Nigerian Police “decided to act on the original petition,” which has now led to the alleged arrest of the NLC president.
Meanwhile, Air Peace and the NLC “reached an amicable resolution,” which led the airline to withdraw its petition.
