Police impound five Air Peace vehicles over runway blockade

The number of Air Peace vehicles impounded by the police has risen to five following an investigation into a recent incident where vehicles allegedly blocked a runway at the Lagos airport. The vehicles, identified by their license plates, are currently in police custody.

The incident involved individuals suspected to be Air Peace staff allegedly positioning the vehicles on the airside of the airport, thereby disrupting the smooth movement of aircraft. Initially, three Air Peace buses were towed into police custody by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) after being found parked in a manner that obstructed airport operations. Further investigation by The PUNCH revealed that the number of impounded vehicles had increased to five.

Muhammed Adeola, spokesperson for the Airport Command of the Nigeria Police, confirmed that five Air Peace vehicles are in police custody. He stated that the police had requested Air Peace to produce the drivers responsible for parking the vehicles in the sensitive area. However, the airline suggested that impostors might have been involved and pledged to conduct an internal investigation to identify the culprits. As of the time of reporting, Air Peace had not provided the police with the results of their internal inquiry.

The vehicles will remain in police custody until the airline produces the drivers. Adeola emphasized the need to identify those who attempted to disrupt airport operations. This incident occurred amidst an industrial action by aviation unions protesting Air Peace's alleged failure to remit the five percent Ticket Sales Charge to the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). The unions' action grounded Air Peace's operations, causing significant travel disruptions for passengers.

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Yes, you are correct, there are five in our compound. When we started our investigation, we met with Air Peace and expected them to provide us with the drivers. But they told us that they believed some saboteurs must have driven their vehicles and all of that. They then promised to conduct an internal investigation and provide us with whoever they found to have driven the buses. Until then, the vehicles will be in our possession, since we must know those who attempted to disrupt the smooth running of airport operations.