Brawl @ GIA, 2 granted bail

Tempers rose to a boiling point last Friday at the offices of the Ghana International Airlines (GIA) at the Kotoka Airport when two men, Kwame Poku and Enitan Odeyemi, a Nigerian national, in separate but linked incidents vented their frustrations on a computer and coffee making machine respectively, destroying them in the process.

They claim a shabby treatment from the airline’s authorities compelled them to act in the manner they did. They have, however, been granted self-cognizance bail after their statements were taken by the Airport Police, where they were dragged to by officials of the airline.

Narrating his side of the story to *The Herald*, Kwame Poku, a Ghanaian freshman at the Huddersfield University in the United Kingdom, said he was scheduled to travel with the airline on April 12, but the flight was cancelled without any reason and prior information.

He said he only got to know of the cancellation when he arrived at the Kotoka International Airport to board the plane. The second attempt to make the journey coincided with the Iceland volcanic eruption which saw airports in Europe closed and flights suspended.

Kwame, who is likely to lose his place to another applicant in the university, claims his future is being toyed with by the airline’s authorities.

His frustration, he said, stemmed from the fact that instead of allowing those who were scheduled to travel before the volcanic eruption to travel first, those who booked the flight after air traffic was reopened were getting the opportunity.

The situation according to him is more worrisome considering reports of bribe-taking allegations being leveled against some officials of the airline.

Enitan Odeyemi, for his part, is highly peeved for what he described as the airline authority’s insensitivity to their clients. He told *The Herald*that he had come into the country with his two year old daughter and “as I talk to you now, we have exhausted all the money I have”.

He claimed that his employers, a pharmaceutical company in the UK, were threatening to release him if he did not arrive in the country immediately. “Should I lose my job because of this people?”, he furiously asked.

He expressed similar sentiments with Kwame Poku about the bribe allegations.

Meanwhile, the two passengers have been granted self-cognizance bail after their statements were taken.

According to Othniel –Moses, the Fraud and Security Manager of the GIA, who reported their conduct to the police, arrangements would be made to enable them travel within the next few days.

He said the challenges they faced with the backlog of passengers following the volcanic eruption was not peculiar with the GIA alone.

He particularly mentioned the British Airways as one of the airlines having such problems. An officer at the airport police station, Mr. Fosu-Ackah helped resolve the impasse amicably, cautioning the two passengers to use the right channels to air their grievances.