Air Peace has clarified that it is not involved in the arrest of Joe Ajaero, President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
Ajaero was detained on September 9, 2024, at Abuja’s Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport while en route to the United Kingdom for a Trade Union Congress meeting. Reports suggested that his arrest was linked to a petition filed by Air Peace.
Omotade Makinwa, the airline’s spokesperson, stated that the arrest was not connected to Air Peace, despite media reports suggesting otherwise. Makinwa emphasized that although Air Peace did submit a petition in May 2023 related to disruptions caused by the NLC’s conflict with the Imo State Government, the petition was not the cause of Ajaero’s arrest.
In a statement, Air Peace noted, “Air Peace Airline expresses deep concern over recent media reports connecting the arrest of the NLC President to a petition filed by the airline. This situation, which has led to negative publicity, does not reflect the current relationship between Air Peace and the NLC.”
Makinwa detailed that the petition was made in response to disruptions affecting Air Peace’s operations during the NLC’s conflict with the Imo State Government, which caused significant financial losses for the airline. Despite this, the police had not acted on the petition until recently.
He added, “Over a year later, the Nigerian Police acted on the petition, which has now led to the arrest of the NLC president. However, Air Peace and the NLC had already resolved the matter amicably, with the airline having withdrawn its petition.”
The airline has expressed concern that the arrest has led to unwarranted negative publicity and clarified that it was not involved in any way with the current arrest of Ajaero.