Air Peace denies involvement in Ajaero’s arrest, detention

Air Peace has distanced itself from the current ordeals and arrest of Joe Ajaero, president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), saying its petition against the body in 2023 has since been withdrawn. Air Peace noted that it has nothing to do with Ajaero’s arrest.

Expressing  a deep concern over recent media reports regarding the arrest of Ajaero, the airline stated  that it only wrote a petition against the NLC after its flights were disrupted by its members as a result of the dispute between the labour body and the Imo State Government in 2023.

A statement signed by Omotade Makinwa, spokesperson for Air Peace, said: “Air Peace airline expresses deep concern over recent media reports regarding the arrest of President of Nigeria Labour Congress 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.

“It is important to clarify the events leading up to the petition. On the 3rd of May, 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,” the statement read.

Air Peace however expressed concerns that over a year later, the Nigerian police have chosen to act on the original petition, which has now led to the alleged arrest of the NLC president.

Makinwa clarified further that “prior to this arrest, the airline and the NLC had already reached an amicable resolution, and Air Peace had withdrawn its petition, allowing a positive working relationship to resume between the two organisations.”