Air Peace Issues Statement Denying Involvement in Arrest of NLC President Amidst Petition Controversy

• Air Peace Petition: Airline Denies Involvement in Ajaero’s Arrest

Air Peace has unequivocally denied any involvement in the arrest of Joe Ajaero, the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), by the Department of State Services (DSS). The indigenous airline released a statement in response to recent media reports linking it to the arrest.

Omotade Makinwa, Spokesperson for Air Peace, addressed the allegations, stating that they had led to negative publicity for the airline. In the statement, Makinwa clarified that the airline had no role in Ajaero’s arrest, which is connected to a petition filed by the airline in September 2023.

The statement explained that on May 3, 2023, the NLC disrupted Air Peace’s operations amid a larger conflict with the Imo State government. Although Air Peace was not involved in the dispute, the airline suffered financial losses due to the disruption, which affected many travelers across multiple states.

Following the incident, Air Peace’s legal team filed a formal petition with the Nigerian Police. Despite persistent follow-ups, the police had not acted on the petition until recently, resulting in Ajaero’s arrest. By the time of Ajaero’s arrest, Air Peace and the NLC had reached a resolution, and the airline had withdrawn its petition.

Ajaero was detained by the DSS on Monday but was released the same day. He confirmed to our correspondent that he was released around 11 p.m. after approximately 15 hours of interrogation, starting at 7 a.m. at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja. Ajaero also reported that his travel passport was confiscated by the DSS.

Further updates later…