Recent media reports suggesting the arrest of Joe Ajaero, President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), over a petition filed by Air Peace Airlines have been debunked by the airline.
Air Peace has clarified that although a petition was filed in 2023 due to a disagreement between the airline and the NLC, the petition was later withdrawn, and the issue resolved amicably.
A spokesperson for Air Peace, Omotade Makinwa, released a statement emphasizing the current positive relationship between the airline and the NLC.
Makinwa stated that any news suggesting tension or a strained relationship between the two parties is unfounded and should be disregarded.
The statement reads: “Air Peace Airline expresses deep concern over recent media reports regarding the arrest of the President of the 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 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.
“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. Before this arrest, the airline and the NLC had already reached an amicable resolution, and Air Peace had withdrawn its petition, allowing a positive working relationship to resume between the two organisations.”
