Air Peace has distanced itself from the circumstances surrounding the arrest of President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero.
In a statement on Monday, ailine said the arrest has wrongly been linked to a petition it filed over the disruption of its services by the NLC in 2023.
The airline disclosed that the matter had been resolved long before Ajaero was arrested on Monday at the airport in Abuja on his way to the UK.
On May 3, 2023, the NLC disrupted operations at Airpeace in a protest targeted at the Imo state government.
The airline clarified that it had no involvement in the dispute but was caught in the middle of the conflict.
“Our airline was unfortunately used as a tool to exert pressure on the government,” said Omotade Makinwa, spokesperson for Air Peace. This disruption, which resulted in financial losses and affected travel plans nationwide, led the airline’s legal team to file a petition with the Nigerian Police.
However, while Air Peace pursued legal action at the time, Makinwa emphasised that an “amicable resolution” had been reached between the airline and the NLC. The petition was withdrawn, and both parties resumed a positive working relationship.
Makinwa then expressed surprise that “over a year later, the Nigerian Police have chosen to act on the original petition” without any prompting from the airline.
The incident had drawn significant public attention, particularly after Air Peace’s N1 billion lawsuit in 2023 against the NLC for damages resulting from the service disruption. The airline sought compensation, citing financial and reputational losses, as well as the physical and emotional toll on its staff.
The airline called for a clearer distinction between the resolved dispute and the subsequent actions taken by the police.
The statement added that the situation does not reflect the current relationship between the airline and the NLC.