Air Peace has distanced itself from the arrest of Joe Ajaero, the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), clarifying that it has no involvement in his current ordeal. The airline emphasized that the petition it filed against the NLC in 2023 had been withdrawn following an amicable resolution.
In a statement signed by its spokesperson, Omotade Makinwa, Air Peace expressed concern over recent media reports suggesting that Ajaero’s arrest was linked to the airline’s previous petition. “Air Peace is deeply concerned about reports linking us to the arrest of the NLC President. This development, which has led to negative publicity, does not reflect the current relationship between Air Peace and the NLC,” Makinwa stated.
The airline clarified that the petition was initially submitted after the NLC disrupted its operations on May 3, 2023, as part of a broader conflict between the labour body and the Imo State Government. Despite having no involvement in that dispute, Air Peace’s services were impacted, causing significant financial losses and disruptions to passengers.
“In response to the unlawful disruption of our services, Air Peace’s legal team filed a formal petition with the Nigerian Police. However, despite our efforts to follow up, the police did not take prompt action at the time,” the statement explained.
The airline expressed surprise that over a year later, the police acted on the petition, leading to Ajaero’s alleged arrest. However, Makinwa reiterated that before the arrest, both Air Peace and the NLC had resolved their differences, and the airline had withdrawn its petition. “We had reached an amicable resolution with the NLC, and the petition was withdrawn, allowing for a positive working relationship to resume between both organizations,” the statement concluded.
