* Pix Source: The Lens
The Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) yesterday arrested, question and released Chairman of Arik Air, Sir Johnson Arumemi –Ikhide after intense questioning over yet to be disclosed issues.
Abelnewsng.com can authoritatively reveal that the Chairman was quizzed, whisked away by EFCC and later released after he satisfactorily provided answers to their enquiries.
However, Abelnewsng.com learnt that some of the management staff .who were in the office when the EFCC operatives invaded the premises escaped using the tarmac to evade EFCC arrest.
But responding to the invasion today; February 9,2017, the Public Relations and Communication, Manager, Adebanji Ola said, “Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday, 8 February 2017 visited Arik Air’s head office. They held a brief meeting with Chairman of Arik Air, Sir Joseph Arumemi-Ikhide after which the Chairman visited their Ikoyi, Lagos office for further discussions and to respond to their enquiries. Having satisfactorily answered the query, the Chairman later left the EFCC office. “
The quizzing of the Chairman by EFCC at the airline’s headquarters at the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos, is coming just as some angry passengers of the airline besieged the airline’s office to demand for the refund of their air ticket fares.
At the gate of the airline about 12 security operatives with their Hiace Toyota buses blocked the entrance of the airline and prevented people from going in or coming out of the premises.
However, sources close to the airline said that the management may have invited the security operatives to forestall breakdown of law and order by some of the aggrieved passengers.
Some of the angry passengers, who could not get refund stormed the airline, but could not gain entrance into the building.
One of the passengers, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, alleged that her money N800, 000 has been trapped in the airline since December 23, 2016.
She added that she bought air tickets for some group of passengers who were to travel to Johannesburg, South Africa with the airline, but the flight was cancelled by the airline, adding that since then, she has not been able to get refund.
According to her, “I have been coming to this place since December last year. I bought tickets for some passengers, who were supposed to travel with the airline the same month, but Arik on their own cancelled the flight and they are supposed to refund me, but they have been tossing me up and down.”
Another passenger, who also did not give his name said that his N70, 000 has been with the airline since July 2016 r while another female passenger said her ticket fund of N23,000 has been hanging with the carrier.
Contacted, airline’s image maker, Mr. Ola Adebanji, said that refund of air ticket fare was a standard practice in the global aviation industry.
