A heated confrontation broke out on Wednesday at the airport in Lagos, pitting Nigeria’s largest carrier, Air Peace, against Senator Adams Oshiomhole of Edo North, over an incident that spiraled into a chaotic scene between passengers and airline staff.
While Air Peace accused the former Edo State governor of disrupting its 6:30 a.m. flight to Abuja, Oshiomhole countered, alleging that the airline denied boarding to valid ticket holders and resold seats at inflated prices to walk-in passengers.
Air Peace, in a statement, said: “In line with our standard on-time departure policy, the boarding process had closed, and the flight departed as scheduled. Upon being informed of the missed flight, the politician (senator) resorted to violence, physically assaulting our staff and forcibly barricading the terminal’s entrance.”
The airline added: “He went as far as sealing the entry gate and manning the access point, effectively obstructing other passengers from gaining entry into the terminal. This unacceptable behaviour caused significant disruption to ongoing operations and affected numerous travellers scheduled for various flights.”
To manage the situation, Air Peace said it “swiftly activated an operational contingency plan to board affected passengers through an alternate terminal, ensuring the continuity of their travel plans.”
The airline expressed disappointment, saying: “We are deeply saddened that such a high-profile figure displayed conduct so unbecoming and disruptive to fellow passengers and our personnel.”
Air Peace maintained that it has “zero tolerance for violence or any form of aggression against our staff and passengers,” adding that: “Aviation operations are bound by strict timelines and safety protocols… No individual, no matter how influential, is above these values.”
My Story – Oshiomhole
Giving his account, Senator Oshiomhole said: “I booked Air Peace… They delayed the flight for over five hours. In the end, they announced a cancellation. I had to get another ticket. Yesterday (Tuesday), I booked a flight for 6:30 a.m., which is their first flight today (yesterday).”
He continued: “I booked and asked them to check me in online, which I did, along with two other Ghanaians who met me in Lagos. We checked in online just to avoid the last-minute issues I’ve had with them a couple of times.”
“I got there at about five minutes past six. They told me the counter was closed. I told them, ‘No, I’ve already checked in.’ I showed them the evidence of my online check-in… Meanwhile, I noticed they were still taking other people in.”
“So I asked, ‘How can you close boarding for a 6:30 flight at 6:05? What is the purpose of online check-in, then?’”
Oshiomhole also accused the airline of price exploitation: “A lady bought her ticket for N146,000 online. She arrived at the airport at 5:55 a.m.… They told her the flight was full and she would have to wait. Meanwhile, the airline was selling tickets on the spot for between N200,000 and N300,000.”
He added: “To take advantage of the situation, they discouraged those who had bought tickets online at lower rates and sold to people willing to pay more.”
On witnessing this, Oshiomhole said he confronted the airline manager, questioning the refusal to board a mother with a six-month-old baby. “I asked the manager, ‘What is this woman’s crime?… The aircraft is still on the ground and more people are buying tickets.’”
He said security operatives later intervened and offered to put the woman on the next flight—“but at an additional N109,100,” bringing her total cost to over N256,000 for a one-hour flight to Abuja.
“I had to send that woman N500,000,” Oshiomhole said. “That’s basically what happened… I checked in online and arrived on time. The aircraft hadn’t taken off… The rowdiness arose because many people were denied boarding while tickets were being sold on the spot to others.”
He concluded by criticizing the role of regulators: “You have regulatory agencies, and they are all compromising. You cannot board people buying tickets on the spot and deny those who booked days ago or checked in online.”