Airline distances Organization, says Ajaero’s arrest carried out one year after petition was withdrawn
It has been revealed that a petition written against the President of the Nigeria Labour Party, Joe Ajaero, and the NLC by the Management of Air Peace Airlines triggered his arrest on Monday by the Department of State Services.
The Petition was written by the Airline to the Nigerian Police in September 2023 when the NLC disrupted flights to, and from, Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport, Imo State over a labour dispute between the NLC and Imo State Government.
The NLC had declared a strike in Imo State which grounded economic and social activities in the State. To achieve maximum effect, it also closed the Airport. That closure affected the operations of Air Peace, the most regular and consistent Airline which operates to, and from the Airport.
In reaction, the Management of the Airline wrote a Petition alleging criminal intimidation against the NLC as well as the loss of hundreds of millions of Naira due to the disruption.
Recall that the Police had about a couple of days ago in its second invitation to Ajaero in which it included the General Secretary of the NLC, charged both men with alleged criminal intimidation.
However, in its explanation of why it arrested Ajaero at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on Monday, the DSS had, allegedly, claimed that it stemmed from a petition written against Ajaero by his colleagues in the NLC which its new Director General inherited, and decided to investigate.
On Tuesday, Air Peace Airline was dragged into qAjaero’s ordeal. The Airline was fingered as the company which claimed criminal intimidation against Ajaero for which he is being hounded.
But the Airline, in a strong reaction, distanced its one- year old petition to the Police against Ajaero from the NLC President’s arrest.
In a statement signed by its Spokesperson, Omotade Makinwa, the Airline wondered why the Police suddenly began an action on its Petition after the Police ignored it for over one year, and after it had amicably sorted things out with the NLC.
The statement reads in part: Air Peace expresses concern over the recent media portrayal linking the NLC’s President’s arrest to a petition filed by the Airline in September, 2023.
“This situation does not accurately represent the current relationship between Air Peace and the NLC.
“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, the Nigerian Police have chosen to act on the original petition which has now led to the alleged arrest of the NLC President.
“Before 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.”
Not a few people are now of the opinion that given Air Peace’s explanation, some people somewhere are hell bent on giving a dog a bad name in order to hang it.
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