The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has clarified the grounding of Arik Air operations, saying the action was due to a subsisting court order from the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
In a statement detailing the reason for the decision on Tuesday, NAMA’s Director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Abdullahi Musa, said the minister of aviation and aerospace development, Festus Keyamo, “being a member of the Inner Bar himself understands the implication of the Supreme Court Order dismissing the motion for leave to appeal and will not risk his license as a legal practitioner or his privilege as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria by engaging in acts that will frustrate an order of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.”
While giving details of the case, Musa said on July 19, 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 one Atlas Petroleum International Ltd by attaching their aircrafts.
“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. All these were served on our agency and also on our supervising minister, the Minister of Aviation.
“The records show that on the 8th day of March, 2016, the Judgment Debtor (ARIK) appealed the decision of the High Court of Lagos State entering judgment against it to the Court of Appeal and on 30th September, 2021, the appeal was dismissed by the Court of Appeal in a unanimous decision with cost.
“ARIK again appealed to the Supreme Court for leave to appeal the decision of the Court of Appeal, and on the 9th day of January, 2024, the Supreme Court, per Okoro, J.S.C., delivered its Ruling dismissing the Judgment Debtor’s application for leave to appeal.