The Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) has directed its members to suspend any planned picketing and strike action following a meeting with the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, in Abuja.

The meeting followed a petition by Air Peace to the IGP over the picketing carried out against the airline on August 11, prompting the police to invite the union’s leaders to present their side of the dispute.

ATSSSAN General Secretary, Frances Akinjole, disclosed the development in a message to members after the meeting, saying the delegation left the Police Headquarters at about 4:30 p.m. after presenting its account of the August 11 incident.

“While there, we stated the version of the occurrence of August 11 from our own perspective,” Akinjole said.

He said the police assured the union that other individuals and organisations mentioned in Air Peace’s petition would also be invited to present their accounts.

According to ATSSSAN, Air Peace’s petition also accused the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the police airport command and other aviation stakeholders of various infractions.

The union said the police had indicated that a comprehensive investigation would be conducted, with all parties given the opportunity to respond to the allegations.

The police also suggested that the stakeholders could later be brought together for a joint discussion to resolve the dispute.

“It was declared that every party may later be called together for discussion because the aviation industry is a strategic and sensitive sector that must be collectively protected,” the union said.

Following the IGP’s appeal for peace and restraint, ATSSSAN said it had directed aviation workers to stand down any planned picketing or strike action pending the resolution of the matter.