Our pilot not an ex-militant, says Air Peace

Air Peace has denied reports that one of its pilots, John Paul Nku, is a former militant.

In a statement issued on Sunday by Christian Iwarah, Air Peace spokesman, the airline said although Nku was one of the beneficiaries of the presidential amnesty programme , he isn’t a repentant militant.

The airline was reacting to a claim by one Wabiye Idoniboyeobu who described Nku as an “amnesty beneficiary” in a Facebook post.

According to the statement, the Facebook user had posted a picture of the pilot with Paul Boroh, coordinator of PAP and special adviser to the president on Niger Delta affairs, who boarded a flight Nku had piloted.

It said the pilot was one of the more than 5,000 non-agitators sponsored under the programme outside the 30,000 former militants who have reportedly benefited from it as well.

“Unfortunately, some social media platforms latched onto Idoniboyeobu’s comments to tag Nku a former militant simply because he was identified as a beneficiary of the PAP,” it read.

“We, therefore, feel compelled to set the record right and correct the wrong impression being created of Nku’s personality.

“It is public knowledge that besides the more than 30,000 former militants who have reportedly benefited from the PAP, over 5,000 non-agitators from Niger Delta communities impacted by oil exploration and exploitation have been trained under the presidential project. Nku was one of the non-agitators who were fortunate to be trained by the PAP.

“In an interview published in Vanguard on June 15, 2016, Boroh himself confirmed the fact that ‘apart from the 30,000 (former militants), no fewer than 5000 others from oil-impacted Niger Delta communities are also being trained in top universities around the world and in Nigeria’.

“It is, therefore, improper to describe Nku as a former militant simply because he was identified as one of the beneficiaries of the PAP.”