A combined picture of Adams Oshiomhole and Air Peace aircraft
By Victory Oghene
The senator representing Edo North in the upper Chamber, Senator Adams Oshiomhole protested his inability to board a Air Peace Abuja flight at the Lagos Airport on Wednesday in spite of checking in online earlier.
Those close to Oshiomhole informed NATIONAL WAVES that the Senator got to the airport by 6am and was told that that check in had been closed. They stated that the lawmaker told the airline staff that he had checked in earlier online and should be issued a ticket since the aircraft s still on ground but the staff refused and this got Oshiomhole angry.
According to Oshiomhole, he had booked the airline’s first flight of the day, scheduled for 6:30 a.m., and checked in online along with two Ghanaian associates. Arriving at the airport around 6:05 a.m., he was surprised to be told that the boarding gate had closed. Despite presenting evidence of his online check-in and having no luggage, he was denied boarding.
Oshiomhole said the situation was not isolated. He observed that several other passengers who had arrived before him and also checked in online were being denied access to the flight.
Meanwhile, other travelers were being allowed to board after purchasing tickets on the spot at significantly higher prices. He alleged that Air Peace was reselling seats at inflated rates, between N200,000 and N300,000, to last-minute buyers while sidel8n8ng those whose who bought at lower price.
One particularly disturbing case involved a woman with a six-month-old baby who had purchased a ticket for N146,000 and arrived at 5:55 a.m. She was told she was late and that the flight was full. The airline then offered to put her on the next flight, but only if she paid an additional N109,100, bringing the total cost of her trip to over N255,000. Oshiomhole confronted the airline manager, demanding to know why she was being punished despite arriving early and following proper procedures.
Air Peace later issued a strong statement to condemn what it described as “unruly conduct” of Oshiomhole.
The former Edo State governor reportedly disrupted operations at Terminal 1 (Zulu Hall) of the Murtala Muhammed Airport around 6.05 am.
He arrived at the terminal for a flight to Abuja, scheduled to depart at 6:30 am.
According to Air Peace, the boarding process had already closed in line with its strict on-time departure policy, and the flight departed as scheduled.
But, Oshiomhole would have none of that. Upon being informed he had missed the flight, he allegedly became physically aggressive, assaulted airline staff, blocked the terminal entrance and prevented other passengers from accessing the departure hall.
“Upon being informed of the missed flight, the politician resorted to violence, physically assaulting our 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,” Air Peace said.
Expectedly, the disruption caused significant delays for other passengers.
In response, the airline immediately activated a contingency plan to reroute travellers through an alternate terminal to minimise the chaos.
One of the officials expressed shock at Oshiomhole’s behaviour.
“What he did was unbelievable. He tried to disrupt our operations. He instigated a lot of his followers. He blocked the departure gates. He took laws into his hands. A senator? Can he act like that at any international airport abroad?
“His actions created a scene, with him jumping onto a baggage conveyor belt and attempting to carry seats to block the departure hall.
“He probably forgot that the airport has CCTV. He admitted he came late but said he had checked in online.
“He was shouting ‘I am not here for privilege, give me my ticket or give me my cash’. Efforts to calm him down by other passengers who also came late and some airport officials proved abortive.”
Air Peace continued: “We are deeply saddened that such a high-profile figure displayed conduct so unbecoming and disruptive to fellow passengers and our personnel. Air Peace maintains a zero-tolerance stance on violence or any form of aggression against our staff and passengers.”
The airline said it was already preparing a formal report on the incident to be submitted to the Senate, the NCAA, the Department of State Services (DSS), and other relevant authorities “for investigation and possible disciplinary action.”
