The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has grounded Arik Airline aircraft following a court order over a $ 2.5 million debt owed to Atlas Petroleum International Ltd. The agency disclosed this in a statement by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection of NAMA, Mr Abdullahi Musa, on Tuesday.
The agency made it known that this development stems from an enforcement action by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court on July 19, 2024, which involved attaching Arik’s planes to secure the debt.
“On the 19th day of July 2024, the enforcement department of the FCT High Court enforced an Order made by the Court regarding a debt of $2.5 million owed by Arik Airline to Atlas Petroleum International Ltd. by attaching their aircraft. Arik was further given a notice of Public Auction of the planes by the Court, which was slated to hold on the 26th day of July 2024 if they fail to pay the Judgment debt,” the statement partly read.
The legal battle dates back to March 8, 2016, when the Lagos State High Court entered judgment against Arik Airline. Despite appealing to the Court of Appeal, the decision was upheld on September 30, 2021, and further attempts to appeal to the Supreme Court were dismissed on January 9, 2024.
Arik Air CEO Mr Roy Ilegbodu criticized the move as “disastrous” and “unjust,” arguing it disregards ongoing judicial processes and hurts the economy. Ilegbodu urged authorities to reconsider, emphasizing the airline’s role in connecting people and facilitating commerce. He also expressed regret for the inconvenience caused to passengers and employees.
Since the news of the grounding of the airline became public knowledge, our correspondent had tried without success to reach out to Mr Jude Nwauzor, the Head of Corporate Communications Department of Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON). Recall that Arik is under the receivership of AMCON over huge debt owed the AMCON, a debt recovery agency of the Federal Government of Nigeria.
