Air Peace debunks report, assures passengers of safety

The management of Nigeria’s Indigenous Airline, Air Peace has urged members of the public to ignore a recorded voice message warning them not to patronise the airline and some other air and land transport companies.

The airline, in a statement signed by its General Manager, Corporate Communications, Mr. Chris Iwarah described the message as fake.

“We would have loved to ignore the message so as not to dignify those behind it. However, we are compelled by the greater need to assure members of the public that the airline is adhering to all safety regulations.

“It is a fake warning put out in the public space by criminal elements and people who do not mean well for the country, particularly airline operators, including Air Peace,’’ he said.

According to him, the recorded warning has become a recurring, but futile and unproductive strategy by unpatriotic individuals to dissuade members of the flying public from patronising the airline.

“Indeed, three years ago, the same faceless individuals recorded a similar message and started contacting us through fronts to make available some amounts of money to them to avert looming danger, which only exists in their imaginations.

“Of course, we refused to yield to their threats and the dates they mentioned came and passed without a hitch,’’ he said.

Iwarah disclosed that the airline also contacted Omega Fire Ministries, alleged to be the source of the trending voice message, and it denied being its source.

According to him, the leader of the church, Apostle Johnson Suleiman denied the warning via his verified twitter account.

“We, therefore, wish to reassure the general public that Air Peace is absolutely safe and operating strictly in line with global best practices in the aviation industry.

“The voice warning should be ignored in its entirety, as it is a product of those who have deliberately put themselves at odds with success and safety,’’ he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the purported audio message was released on the social media, following Thursday’s accident on the Sir Michael Otedola Bridge in Lagos.

Nine persons were reportedly killed and about 54 vehicles burnt in an inferno that occurred after a petrol tanker fell and spilled its content on the busy road at about 5.30 p.m.

The audio message had warned members of the public not to travel out of Lagos on June 23, June 28, July 12, July 24, July 30 and Aug. 1, using the transport companies, claiming that they were “marked for blood’’.