The Federal Government has ordered a thorough investigation into Wednesday’s altercation between Air Peace and Edo North Senator, Adams Oshiomhole, at the Lagos Airport.
In a statement issued on Friday through his X (formerly Twitter) handle, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, said he has been in direct contact with both parties since the incident and appealed to them to halt their public accusations and counter-accusations.
He directed the relevant aviation agencies to gather all available evidence and submit a report to his office to help guide future conduct in similar cases.
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Recall that the incident followed Air Peace’s accusation that Oshiomhole disrupted its operations after missing a scheduled flight.
Videos circulated on X showed the Senator addressing an official at the airport and sitting in front of a gate at Zulu Hall in Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal
Keyamo appealed to both parties to exercise restraint in their exchanges and allow due process to take its course.
“In the wake of the incident at the Lagos Airport last Wednesday involving Air Peace and His Excellency, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, I have been in direct contact with both parties since that morning,” the minister said.
“Whilst appealing to both sides to halt the public accusations and counter-accusations, I am further directing the relevant aviation agencies to thoroughly look into the issue, collect all available evidence, and revert to my office so we can deal with the issue in a way that guides future conduct in similar situations.”
Keyamo also stressed the importance of fairness and impartial inquiry, noting that the longstanding legal principle of listening to all parties must be upheld.
Oshiomhole accuses Air Peace of Extortion
Earlier, Oshiomhole, a former governor of Edo, had accused the company of extortion and reselling of airline tickets.
Oshiomhole, senator representing Edo north has shared his own side of the story following a confrontation with staff of by Air Peace.
Oshiomhole, a former governor of Edo, reacting accused the company of extortion and reselling of airline tickets.
Addressing journalists in Abuja on Wednesday, Oshiomhole said he arrived at the airport on Tuesday at 6:10 pm for a 6:50 pm flight and met the airline’s 30-minute check-in deadline.
“Yesterday, I got to the airport 40 minutes ahead. My luggage was already checked in. But they told me they had stopped issuing boarding passes. Meanwhile, I saw others arriving after me who were allowed to board,” he said.
Oshiomhole said despite holding a business class ticket, he was denied boarding while his aide was allowed through.
He said the incident forced him to lodge at a hotel, where he paid N1.5 million to accommodate himself and two Ghanaian passengers who were also stranded.
The senator said he returned for the 6:30 am flight the next morning, having checked in online at 7:46 pm the previous night.
The politician said he was again turned back, along with other passengers, after a “sudden” change in policy that now required passengers to check in 45 minutes before departure — up from the usual 30 minutes.
“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,” he said.
“Even before then, they had asked if I had checked in, and I told them yes, and that I had no luggage. They looked at it but still said the gate had been closed. 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?’ If I had to go through another check-in process, then what’s the point of checking in online?”
Oshiomhole said what he witnessed was a pattern of extortion, with airline staff denying boarding to passengers with online bookings and reselling tickets at inflated prices.
He cited a woman who bought a ticket online for N146,000 but was denied boarding, only to be told to buy another for N250,000.
“I was told the counter had closed. But people were still being allowed to buy new tickets at higher prices,” he said.
“Those of us who had booked online for N146,000 were told we were late, while they sold new tickets for N250,000. That is not policy enforcement, it is extortion.”
Oshiomhole said he did not cause any scene and refused to accept preferential treatment when it was offered.
“I didn’t disrupt anything. I refused to let them ‘sort me out’ while others were left stranded,” he said.
“They offered to help me once they recognised me. I said, don’t help me, enforce my rights like every other Nigerian.”
He said Nigeria’s aviation sector is plagued by “VIP impunity,” where elites are offered preferential access while ordinary citizens are left stranded.
“That’s the real problem — big men get sorted, and the rest of Nigerians are ignored. If speaking out makes me a troublemaker, then I’ll cause trouble forever,” he said.
Oshiomhole described how a woman with a baby was denied boarding, even though the plane was still on the ground.
“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,” he said.
The lawmaker said Air Peace staff eventually offered the woman a seat on the next flight — at an extra cost of N109,100.
“She would spend about N256,000 for a one-hour flight to Abuja. There were many others in the same situation,” he said.
“I said to the manager, ‘You must follow the rules.’ Many people were stranded, except those who could afford another ticket.”
Oshiomhole said people urged him not to leave and to speak out, as they were tired of the exploitation.
“I had to send that woman N500,000. That’s basically what happened,” he said.
The senator criticised the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) for failing in its oversight duties and urged the federal government to step in.
“How can you profit from your own inefficiency? This is ruthless, primitive capitalism. Nigerians are unprotected. The government must act,” the politician said.
He warned that continued exploitation could spark deeper unrest.
According to Oshiomhole, when people give up hope, “bullets will not stop them”, adding that the least a government can do is to “protect its citizens from exploitation.”
Air Peace Refutes Extortion claim
However, Air Peace has denied recent allegations by Senator Oshiomhole, describing his claims of extortion and overbooking as “deliberate falsehood.”
In a statement signed by the airline’s management and made available on Thursday via X, Air Peace said, “The Senator lied blatantly when he accused Air Peace of extorting its passengers. We challenge Senator Oshiomhole to bring one evidence of a passenger that was extorted.”
The airline insisted that no ticket was sold after the closure of check-in on the flight in question and that the aircraft departed with over 30 empty seats.
“None of our staff ever extorted any passenger. In fact, no ticket was sold after the closure of check-in on that flight. Everyone who flew bought their ticket prior to the flight closure,” the statement added.
Air Peace said the flight was not overbooked, contrary to what the senator alleged in his videos.
“It would have been in our interest to carry Oshiomhole and those others who missed their flights for lateness on this flight, instead of flying many empty seats; but we will never sacrifice our strict on-time performance for monetary gains,” the airline noted.
Addressing further claims by the former Edo State governor, Air Peace accused him of unruly behaviour at the airport.
“He came to the airport late and was told that he was late. He then began to forment trouble. He jumped on the baggage conveyor belt preventing the check-in process of other flights. He also barricaded the entrance gate and prevented access to the terminal,” they said.
Air Peace also called on the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria to release CCTV footage of the incident.
“We call on FAAN to release the CCTV coverage starting from the time Senator Oshiomhole entered the airport, for Nigerians to see. His accusation of extortion is very defamatory. His conduct was very violent, unbecoming, unfortunate and above all, shameful,” the statement added.
