KOREDE DAMIFOGO
The President of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Com. Joe Ajaero, was on Monday arrested by the Department of State Security (DSS), over a petition submitted by the management of Air Peace to the Police.
It could be recalled that the DSS had arrested Ajaero at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja en route the audited Kingdom, on Monday.
However, in a statement by Air Peace spokesman, Omotade Makinwa, and a copy made available to BUSINESSINSIDERNG, the petition had also been withdrawn after the Police refused to take prompt action.
The airline, however, distance itself from the petition, saying the issue that led to the petition had been resolved by born parties involved.
He, however, expressed surprise to the sudden arrest of the NLC president after the Police had failed to take prompt action against the NLC President despite repeated follow up on the petition in 2023.
“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.
“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.”
Omotade in the statement, however, said the airline and the NLC had resolved and reached amicable resolution.
However, 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. Prior to this arrest, the airline and the NLC had already reached an amicable resolution, and Air Peace had withdrawn its petition, allowing a positive working relationship to resume between the two organizations.