NAMA

PRESS STATEMENT ON THE GROUNDING OF ARIK AIRCRAFT BY THE NIGERIAN AIRSPACE MANAGEMENT AGENCY

On July 19th, 2024, the enforcement department of the FCT High Court executed an order regarding a debt of $2.5 million owed by Arik Air to Atlas Petroleum International Ltd. This order involved attaching Arik’s aircraft and issuing a notice of public auction slated for July 26th, 2024, should the judgment debt remain unpaid. These notifications were duly served to our agency and the Honorable Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development.

The records indicate that Arik appealed a March 8th, 2016, decision by the High Court of Lagos State, which was dismissed by the Court of Appeal on September 30th, 2021. Subsequently, Arik sought leave to appeal this decision to the Supreme Court, which was dismissed by the Supreme Court on January 9th, 2024.

The judgment creditor registered the Lagos State High Court’s judgment in the High Court of the FCT. On June 26th, 2024, Honorable Justice O. A. Adeniyi ordered the attachment of all movable properties belonging to Arik, including aircraft with Registration Nos: B737-700/5N-MJF, B737-800/5N-MJQ, DASH8-Q400, and 5N-BKX, to satisfy the judgment debt. Copies of this order and the Certificate of Judgment were served to us and the Minister.

Arik has since obtained an ex parte order to halt further execution of the attachment order, though formal service has not yet been received. In light of the initial execution, any further execution by way of sale is suspended pending court resolution. To preserve the aircraft, the subject of the present dispute, we have decided to ground them to prevent their removal from the court’s jurisdiction or any action that might frustrate the judicial process.

The Minister, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, understands the implications of the Supreme Court’s order dismissing the motion for leave to appeal. He remains committed to upholding the court’s decisions without risking his professional standing.

We encourage all parties involved to resolve their issues promptly so that the grounded Arik aircraft can resume operations.

Alhaji Abdullahi Musa
Director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection

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