Air Peace, Nigeria’s leading airline company, is in the news again, and this time around, it’s in the eye of the storm alongside the former governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole, who is also a serving senator. When a top airline company notorious for its awful and abysmal operational record, customer service, which has culminated into an uninspiring public image, becomes embroiled in a face-off with a feisty seating senator, then it’s expected that the imbroglio will dominate the media.
A commotion broke out at the Zulu terminal of the Murtala Muhammed airport on Wednesday morning after Senator Oshiomhole caused a scene while expressing his frustration after he was barred from boarding his flight.
Oshiomhole’s account of events
The Wednesday incident was a spillover of a series of developments on Tuesday. Oshiomhole disclosed that he was also denied boarding on Tuesday when he arrived at the airport at 6:10 p.m. for a 6:30 p.m. flight to Abuja. Although he said his luggage was checked in, he was denied a boarding pass because the check-in counter had closed. He stated that his Tuesday flight was delayed for over five hours and was later cancelled.
The senator revealed that he and his aide had to stay overnight in a hotel before booking another 6:30 a.m. flight the following morning (Wednesday) after being stranded.
However, the next day, despite checking in online at 7:46 p.m. the previous night and arriving at the airport before 6:00 a.m., Oshiomhole said he and many others were again denied boarding.
He said, “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.
“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. 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.
Allegation of extortion
According to Oshiomhole, Air Peace was deliberately denying people who booked their ticket online boarding despite online check-in and arriving at the airport long before the departure time of their scheduled flight because the airline was selling their seats to other passengers who were willing to pay way more than what those who bought their tickets online paid. He disclosed that the airline was selling tickets for in-person purchases for as much as N25,000. He described the practice as ‘extortion’
He disclosed that “While speaking to them, I saw many men and women who had been there even before me, with similar experiences. Basically, they were selling tickets on the spot at higher prices. I’ll give you an example. A lady bought her ticket for N146,000 online. She arrived at the airport at 5:55 a.m. for the 6:30 a.m. flight, after the gatemen had delayed her.
“They told her she was late and that the counter had closed for check-in. She said that was impossible, as it wasn’t even 6:00 a.m. They told her she would be put on the next flight. She protested, saying, ‘Why? Put me on this flight.’ But they told her the flight was full and she would have to wait.
“Meanwhile, the airline was selling tickets on the spot for N250,000. To take advantage of the situation, they discouraged those who had bought tickets online at lower rates and sold them to people willing to pay more. I was told the counter had closed. But people were still being allowed to buy new tickets at higher prices. Those 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,” he added.
“I told them this cannot be allowed. I checked in online and arrived on time. The aircraft hadn’t taken off. I’m not supposed to check in twice. The rowdiness arose because many people were denied boarding while tickets were being sold on the spot to others,” he said.
Rejection of preferential treatment
Mr Oshiomhole also said he declined attempts by security personnel and Air Peace staff to give him special treatment
“I said to the manager, ‘You must follow the rules.’ Many people were stranded, except those who could afford another ticket. I followed the woman to the counter and told her to do whatever they asked. Those of us who were also prevented from flying gathered there. Even when an officer offered me access to a lounge, people around said, ‘Comrade, please don’t leave—this is how they’ve been treating us.’
Air Peace shares its side of the story.
The airline company claimed the senator behaved in a violent and unruly manner. It also alleged that Oshiomhole physically assaulted their workers, describing his behaviour as ‘unacceptable’
The Airline, in a statement, said: “The incident happened early yesterday morning when the politician arrived late for Flight P47120, which was scheduled to depart at 6:30 a.m. He arrived at 6:10 a.m. after boarding had already closed in line with Air Peace’s on-time departure policy.
“Upon being informed of the missed flight, the politician resorted to violence, physically assaulting our members of staff and forcefully barricading the terminal’s entrance. He went as far as sealing the entry gate and manning the access point, effectively obstructing other passengers from gaining entry into the terminal.”
Disruption of operation.
Air Peace stated that the actions and behaviour of Senator Oshiomhole adversely affected its operation and many passengers.
“This unacceptable behaviour caused significant disruption to ongoing operations and affected numerous travellers scheduled for various flights. To minimise further inconvenience, Air Peace swiftly activated an operational contingency plan to board affected passengers through an alternate terminal, ensuring the continuity of their travel plans.”
Air Peace denies allegations of extortion and flight overbooking
Air Peace on Thursday debunked an allegation by Oshiomhole that it was reselling seats of passengers who bought tickets online to potential travellers who wanted to buy tickets in person over the counter at the airport at exorbitant and inflated prices. It called the allegation a “deliberate falsehood”.
The airline, while stating that it did not sell tickets after check-in had closed for the flight in question, implored the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, to release the closed-circuit television, CCTV footage capturing the moment former Oshiomhole arrived at the airport.
Air Peace said in a statement on Thursday: “We challenge Senator Oshiomole to bring one piece of evidence of a passenger who was extorted.
“None of our staff engaged in any form of extortion. No tickets were sold after the check-in for that flight had closed. Every passenger on board purchased their ticket prior to the closure of check-in.”
The airline company stated that there was also no iota of truth in the senator’s claim that the flight was overbooked. It also noted that it did not offer Oshiomhole any preferential treatment, adding that his claim that he was fighting for others was untrue.
It said “Again, our flight was never overbooked as some of his videos alleged. The aircraft took off with over thirty (30) empty seats. 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.
“It’s absolutely false that he was offered preferential treatment and that he was fighting for others. Senator Oshiomole was not fighting for anyone. He came to the airport late and was told that he was late. He then began to foment trouble.”
Netizens’ reactions
Reactions have continued to trail the back and forth between Oshiomhole and Air peace on social media, with many of those who have weighed in on the issue siding with the senator and also sharing their distressing travelling experiences with the airline
“Ordinarily, the public would have sympathised with you. But what he did is exactly what many passengers would have done to your airline if they had his kind of “power.” For an airline that reschedules flights mindlessly, accommodating a passenger who showed up while your aircraft was still on the tarmac, several minutes before takeoff, should have been an opportunity to redeem your image or atone for all the passengers you have upset over the years.” Gimba Kakanda said on twitter.
“I’ve now read Oshiomhole’s statement, watched and listened to all who appeared in the videos of the incident. There’s nothing indecent and unruly about the conduct of Oshiomhole. Airpeace exaggerated the incident” Abdul Mahmud stated
“A reminder that Air Peace today is exactly what Arik used to be, in its glory days, a decade ago. In size and in behaviour.
As a rule, the bigger a Nigerian airline is, the worse the service.
Arik was humbled by time, and today they’re a much smaller and more efficient air line,” Tolu Ogunlesi, a media aide to ex president, Muhammadu Buhari, opined.
https://x.com/toluogunlesi/status/1933121808019943533?t=q5EMEURbz8WY28ZKMP9JUg&s=19
“Useless @flyairpeace is now releasing statement per seconds. As if the useless airline doesn’t deliberately frustrate and extort passengers. Anything Airpeace was accused of, they did it…, ” Ayo Oyalowo said
“I booked a 7am Airpeace flight to Abuja and I got to the airport by 6:15am only to be told that they’ve closed their counter. But right there, area boys were selling same Airpeace tickets for thrice the original amount. I got another airline. Airpeace own don dey too much o!, ” veteran sport journalist, Godwin Enakhena, recounted his own ordeal
” Important to note that Oshiomhole’s actions do not constitute a civil offense but a criminal one as the terminal is a public property regulated by FAAN. So, beyond the cowardice of Air Peace, what is the @PoliceNG, @FAAN_Official and @MinOfInteriorNG doing about this?” David Ojukwu said.
What Nigerian aviation law says
Nigerian aviation law, primarily governed by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (NCAR) and overseen by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), sets clear guidelines on passenger rights, airline responsibilities, and boarding procedures.
Airlines operating in Nigeria can set and enforce check-in and boarding deadlines, as long as they are communicated to passengers during ticket purchase and via other appropriate channels.
For domestic flights, most Nigerian airlines set check-in to close 45 minutes before scheduled departure, and boarding to close 15–20 minutes before takeoff.
For international flights, check-in may close 90 minutes before departure. According to NCAA guidelines, the passenger must arrive at the airport with sufficient time to complete all pre-boarding formalities such as check-in and security clearance.
Online check-in does not exempt passengers from arriving at the airport in time for boarding unless otherwise stated by the airline.
Suppose a passenger fails to meet the airline’s check-in or boarding deadline, even by a few minutes, the airline is legally permitted to deny boarding, and compensation is not mandatory in such cases, as it’s not considered the airline’s fault.
However, the airline must apply its policies justly and uniformly, without preference or arbitrary enforcement, in line with the NCAR Part 19, which prescribes passenger rights.
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