By LOVETH AZODO, Lagos
Air Peace airline has accused the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) members of harassing and attacking its staff over refusal to join protest and insisting on performing their lawful duties.
In a statement issued by the airline’s Corporate Communications Manager, Mr. Chris Iwarah showed that the attack which was made known to them through a distress call placed by its staff on Friday was targeted on its hub at the General Aviation Terminal of the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos
“On Friday, September 28, 2018, we received distress calls from our of staff that members of the Nigeria Labour Congress and its affiliates had invaded our hub at the General Aviation Terminal of the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos, disrupting our operations and preventing members of the flying public from accessing the facility to board their flights.
“When our staff refused to join the protest, the protesters left. Shortly after, they returned with a crowd of about 500 protesters to forcefully take over our counters at the airport, attacking our staff and chasing members of the flying public out of the terminal. Other airlines were left to operate. It is rather curious that Labour would target the operations of Air Peace for disruption.” He narrates
According to the statement, the airline urge the police, other security agencies and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to intervene in the disruption of its flight operations and attack of its staff by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and its affiliates.
Air Peace said it feared that there would be a complete breakdown of law and order if NLC and its affiliates persisted in their unlawful disruption of its flight operations.
“As a law-abiding organisation, we call on the Nigeria Police, the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria and other security agencies to immediately call the NLC and its affiliates to order to prevent a complete breakdown of law and order. The unlawful action of the agitators brought our operations to a complete halt, caused us huge loss of revenue and made members of the flying public to through untold hardship.”
“While we have nothing against the NLC and its affiliates, we wish to state clearly that it is absolutely condemnable for the protesters to single out our operations for attack and disruption. The NLC and its mob of protesters have no right whatsoever to stop our staff from performing their lawful duties, neither have they any authority to prevent members of the flying public from boarding their flights.
“The NLC must be made to understand the limits to its right to protest. That right does not extend to endangering the operations of organisations that are doing their best to contribute to Nigeria’s economy and make life easy for the people. We are currently talking with our lawyers with a view to getting the NLC and its affiliates to account for their unlawful action,” the airline said.”
