Senator Adams Oshiomhole, former Edo State governor and current lawmaker representing Edo North, has strongly denied allegations by Air Peace that he disrupted airport operations after missing a flight, insisting instead that he stood against “extortion and arbitrary policy changes” by the airline.
The senator’s rebuttal follows a statement by Air Peace, which alleged that he caused a scene at the Zulu Terminal of Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) after arriving late for a 6:30 a.m. flight to Abuja.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Wednesday, Oshiomhole described the airline’s version as “a complete distortion”, maintaining that he arrived well within the required check-in window for a flight scheduled the previous day at 6:50 p.m., and again for a rescheduled flight the next morning.
“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.
The senator recounted that although he held a business class ticket, he was denied boarding while his aide was permitted through. He was then forced to lodge in a hotel overnight, incurring ₦1.5 million in accommodation costs for himself and two stranded Ghanaian passengers.
Oshiomhole claimed he had checked in online at 7:46 p.m. for the next morning’s flight, but was again denied boarding based on a new policy that raised the check-in closure time from 30 minutes to 45 minutes before departure.
“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.
“Meanwhile, I noticed they were still taking other people in.”
He accused Air Peace of operating a pattern of extortion, saying passengers who had booked tickets online at ₦146,000 were denied entry, while others were allowed to buy new tickets on the spot for as high as ₦250,000.
“Those of us who had booked online… were told we were late, while they sold new tickets at higher prices. That is not policy enforcement, it is extortion.”
Refuting claims of disruptive behaviour, Oshiomhole said he refused preferential treatment when offered and chose to speak out for all affected travelers.
“I didn’t disrupt anything. I refused to let them ‘sort me out’ while others were left stranded,” he stated.
The senator said the incident exposed a broader culture of “VIP impunity” in Nigeria’s aviation sector.
“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 described how a mother with a baby was turned away despite the plane still being on the tarmac. The woman, he said, was only offered a seat on the next flight after agreeing to pay an additional ₦109,100—bringing her total cost to over ₦256,000 for a one-hour flight.
“I had to send that woman ₦500,000. That’s basically what happened.”
Oshiomhole criticised the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) for what he called a failure of oversight, and urged the federal government to take immediate steps to protect citizens from exploitation.
“This is ruthless, primitive capitalism. Nigerians are unprotected. The government must act,” he said.
“When people give up hope, bullets will not stop them. The least a government can do is protect its citizens from exploitation.”
As of press time, Air Peace had yet to issue a response to the senator’s rebuttal.
