The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has grounded the operations of Arik Airline due to a $2.5 million debt owed to Atlas Petroleum International Ltd.... CLICK TO READ THE FULL NEWS HERE▶▶
This was made known in a statement issued Tuesday, July 30, 2024, by NAMA’s director of public affairs and consumer protection, Abdullahi Musa.
The statement read: “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 one Atlas Petroleum International Ltd by attaching their aircraft.
“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 Judgement Debtor (ARIK) appealed the decision of the High Court of Lagos State entering judgement 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.”
The statement further disclosed that Arik again appealed to the Supreme Court for leave to appeal the decision of the appeal court, and on 9 January, the Supreme Court delivered its ruling dismissing Arik’s application for leave to appeal.
Parts of the statement read: “…attaching all the moveable properties belonging to the Judgement Debtor, including the Judgement Debtor’s aircraft with Registration No: B737-700/ 5N-MJF, B737-800/ 5N-MJQ, DASH8-Q400 and 5N-BKX, in satisfaction of the judgement debt.
“In the circumstances, since the first execution took place by attaching the aircraft, further execution by way of sale can be halted whilst the parties go back to court to resolve the issues.
“However, in order to preserve the subject matter of the present dispute which are the aircraft in question (the res), which have already been attached, we have decided to comply with the effect of the supreme court order, by grounding the aircraft (subject of dispute) so that they are not taken out of the jurisdiction of the court or tampered with in a way as to frustrate the courts.”
The agency also stated that the aviation minister, Festus Keyamo, being a senior advocate, understands the implication of the Supreme Court order dismissing the motion for leave to appeal.
“The minister will not risk his licence 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,” NAMA added.
