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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Crime & Justice

Union dismisses Air Peace petition as ‘ridiculous’ after police invitation

From The Punch · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Nigeria’s Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria rejected a petition filed by Air Peace and attended a police meeting about it.
  • The dispute follows an August 11 strike over Air Peace’s alleged failure to remit a five percent ticket sales charge, which disrupted flights in Lagos and Abuja.
  • The union said police would hear from all parties and could later convene a joint meeting to address the issues.

Nigeria’s Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria has called Air Peace’s petition “ridiculous” after union officials appeared before police to respond to the airline’s allegations.

The union said Air Peace’s complaint accused not only the aviation unions but also the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority and the airport police command of various wrongdoings. ATSSSAN said it presented its own account of events surrounding the August 11 industrial action.

It was ridiculous that the Air Peace petition accused the unions, FAAN, NCAA, the police airport command and almost everyone in the industry of one thing or the other.

· Francis AkinjoleThe ATSSSAN secretary-general criticised the breadth of Air Peace’s petition after meeting police.

The dispute had already disrupted air travel. Aviation unions grounded Air Peace operations at Lagos and Abuja airports over the airline’s alleged refusal to remit the five percent Ticket Sales Charge to the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, as required by law. Earlier, five Air Peace buses were towed into police custody by FAAN after they were found parked in a way that could obstruct airport operations.

Aviation industry is a strategic and sensitive sector that must be collectively protected.

· Francis AkinjoleAkinjole described the police appeal for a possible joint discussion among the parties.

ATSSSAN Secretary-General Francis Akinjole said the union had fulfilled its responsibility by attending the police invitation. Police, he said, promised to speak with every other person or organisation connected to the petition, including Air Peace itself. He added that all parties could later be called together because aviation is a “strategic and sensitive sector that must be collectively protected.”

Police also appealed to the union to maintain peace. Akinjole praised the workers for what he called their “sagacious resolve to stand for justice and stand firm in solidarity,” describing them as the “true heroes and heroines” of the dispute.

You are the true heroes and heroines of this struggle.

· Francis AkinjoleHe praised union workers for maintaining solidarity during the dispute.
About this summary

Originally published by The Punch in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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