Some 200 unsuspecting job-seekers, mostly tertiary institution graduates, who went in search of employment at Aero Contractors Airline have been swindled of hundreds of thousands of Naira by a gang of suspected recruitment conmen, who operate within the premises of the airline’s corporate office located at the local wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.

A  source at the Airport Police Command told our Correspondent that already the activities of the gang have been brought to the knowledge of the law enforcement officers at the airport. “We received an anonymous petition one week ego and we have been investigating the crime.”

According him, no arrest has been made but, “we have informed Aero Contractors management about the incident and they said there was nothing like that. We showed them the petition still they would not believe.”

He added that some of the victims have been trouping to the Police command’s office to make complaint about the development. “They have been coming here to complain and all of them keep mentioning one name, but the Airline claimed there was nothing like that.”

Investigation by our Correspondent revealed that a syndicate led by one Mr. Lanre Bamgbose who claimed he work at Aero Contractors as Personnel officer has been collecting money ranging from N200,000.00 to N300,000.00 depending on the position an applicant seeks to occupy in the company.

“He would asked you to go and pay the money into a particular bank account at Sterling Bank  or another account at GTB. He would say the money covers medicals, air ticket for the interview location, which would be announced later. They have swindled over 200 people already using the same account details: Mrs.  Anita Nwosu, STERLING BANK 0026946244 and Mr. Richie Emmanuel, GT Bank. Account number 0153322162.”

The two account numbers have been confirmed to exist in the two banks and are also operational with the names provided as the account holders. Our Correspondent also confirmed at the airline office that recruitment exercise is going on but there was no payment whatsoever expected from the applicants.

Effort was made to get official position about the incident from Aero Contractors, but nobody was willing to speak. One Andy Onche, who claimed to be a senior staff of the Airline, told our correspondent that the recruitment into Aero is being handle by Asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON).

In March 2013, industrial action grounded Aero Contractors flights for 18 days, in a dispute over outsourcing and reduction in staff numbers. The strike which lasted from 13th to 28th March, grounded Aero’s active fleet of nine aircraft, and was reported to have cost the airline at least N10Billion in ticket sales.

After financial intervention, the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), an arm of the Federal Government of Nigeria, held 60% of Aero, and in August 2013 it was reported that AMCON had taken over the management of the carrier. Hugh Fraser was named as new CEO.

In August 2013 there was press speculation that the Federal Government will use Aero Contractors as the nucleus of a new national carrier, recapitalizing it through an N200 billion Initial Public Offer (IPO).

The new airline was allegedly to be known as ‘Nigerian Eagle’, several years after the liquidation of the defunct flag carrier Nigerian Airways, and that the airline would commence full operations before the end of the year (2013).

The factual basis for this report was the repainting of ten Aero planes in the colours of the Nigeria National Football Team, the Super Eagles. The Ministry of Air Transport, however, clarified that the repainting of the aircraft was only publicity related to the qualification of the National team for the 2014 World Cup.