By Lawani Mikairu

Lagos—Aggrieved passengers of Arik Air, who yesterday stormed the airline’s headquarters to demand for the refund of their air ticket fares after series of cancellation were prevented from gaining access to the airline as the gates were locked and manned by fierce- looking security officials.

The purpose of the security men’s presence at the gates of the airline was however not clear. The security operatives numbering about 12 with their Hiace Toyota buses barricaded the entrance of the airline, thereby prevented people from going in or coming out of the premises.

A source close to the airline said the management may have invited the security operatives to forestall breakdown of law and order by the aggrieved passengers.

Vanguard observed that some of the security operatives in police uniform were outside the entrance gate while others were inside the building. Vanguard was told that the security men arrived the airline gates with a vehicle with registration number Abuja: BWR 641 GA.

One of the aggrieved passengers, who refused to disclose her name, alleged that her N800,000 ticket funds have been trapped in the airline since December 23, 2016.

She said she bought air tickets for some group of passengers who were supposed to travel to Johannesburg, South Africa with the airline, but the flight was cancelled, stressing that since then, she had not been able to get the refund.

When contacted the spokesman of the airline, Mr. Ola Adebanji, said that refund of air ticket fare was a standard practice in the global aviation industry. He however declined to comment on the presence of security operatives at the airline’s headquarters, saying that, “I don’t know if security operatives are there. Don’t you know we have police post at our premises?”