The Chairman/Founder of Arik Air, Chief Johnson Arumemi-Ikhide, was barred from entering the company’s premises at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.
Arumemi-Ikhide and some of his aides had arrived at the airline’s headquarters in accordance with the court order granting him access.
According to the Daily Trust, AMCON has been managing Arik Air since 2017 and has appointed a receiver-manager, Kamilu Omokhide, for the airline.
In 2021, the founder of Arik Air, Sir Johnson Arumemi Ikhide, and his wife, Mary Arumemi Ikhide (plaintiffs) filed an originating motion dated December 14, 2021, and prayed the court that the duty imposed on the receiver-manager, Kamilu Omokhide (first defendant) by section 553 of the CAMA 202O to act in the best interest of Arik Air Limited as a whole, includes the duty to act in the best interest of the plaintiffs (Arumemi and Mary Ikhide) as members of Arik Air Limited.
Arumemi-Ikhide also sought an order directing the 1st & 2nd defendants “to allow the Directors and Shareholders of Arik Air Ltd unfettered access to their offices, premises of the Plaintiff, facilities and staff required for the discharge of their functions.”
In accordance with a court order stating that Arik Air’s receivership does not preclude restricting access to the airline’s premises, the Arik Air founder attempted to enter the airline’s premises on Tuesday.
The security guards on duty, however, stopped him at the entrance.
The airline’s Chief Security Officer, D Tom-West, stated that there was an order from above not to allow him access to the premises.
In the ensuing debate, the CSO stated that he is only accountable to the receiver-manager.
He said, “The receiver manager gave an instruction not to allow you in. I am not aware of the court order. We cannot give you access to get into the compound. This is the instruction from above.
I’m very sorry that I’m keeping you people under the sun. We have the directive to deny you access. I’m obliged to respect the directive from receiver manager,” he said.
Arumemi-Ikhide had told the CSO that he was not there to harass anyone or cause any trouble, but rather to obey the court’s order granting him access to the airline’s premises.
He stated that he had a meeting with the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer and that he would be visiting on Tuesday and that some offices should be reserved for him, to which they agreed.
He expressed surprise at being denied access to the premises.
The Chairman later left the premises and went to the Nigeria Police Force’s MMA Domestic Airport Division, where he wrote a statement.
He stated that he would report back to his lawyers, who would look into the matter