Abuja, Nigeria — Senator Adams
Oshiomhole has vehemently denied allegations of disrupting Air Peace operations, asserting that his actions were a stand against systemic extortion and poor customer service by Nigerian airlines, not an act of disruption.
He insisted he rejected preferential treatment and championed the rights of ordinary Nigerians.
Recall that Air Peace had previously issued a statement accusing Oshiomhole of disrupting airport operations after he allegedly missed a scheduled flight.
In the continuation of the airline claim, Sir Peace insisted that the former Edo State Governor arrived late for Flight P47120, which was slated to depart for Abuja at 6:30 a.m.
However, during a briefing with journalists in Abuja on Wednesday, Senator Oshiomhole, who represents Edo North, stated that his recent experiences with Air Peace underscored the growing impunity and disregard for passengers’ rights within Nigeria’s aviation sector.
Presenting documented evidence and videos to journalists, Oshiomhole recounted his ordeal, saying that he arrived at the airport at 6:10 p.m. for a 6:50 p.m. flight but was denied a boarding pass despite meeting the airline’s stated 30-minute check-in deadline before departure.
“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 explained.
He claimed that despite holding business class tickets for himself and an aide, who was allowed to board, the Senator who is representing the people of Edo North stated that he was turned away.
He lamented the arbitrary application of airline policies, which he said left him with a N1.5 million hotel bill to accommodate himself and two stranded Ghanaian passengers.
Lamenting His ordeal, he noted that his attempts to fly with Air Peace the following morning proved equally frustrating. Oshiomhole stated he “arrived before 6:00 a.m. for a 6:30 a.m. flight, having checked in online by 7:46 p.m. the previous night.”
He was again denied boarding, alongside other passengers who were confused by a last-minute change in check-in policy from 30 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. 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,” he narrated.”
“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?”
He further elaborated on the situation, revealing what he believes to be a deliberate scheme of extortion. “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 to people willing to pay more,” Oshiomhole alleged.
“I was told the counter had closed. But people were still being allowed to buy new tickets at higher prices. 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.”
Rejecting claims of causing a disruption, Oshiomhole stated he remained calm but firm, only intervening when a crowd of stranded passengers, including women with babies, began to protest.
“I didn’t disrupt anything. I refused to let them ‘sort me out’ while others were left stranded. They offered to help me once they recognised me. I said, ‘don’t help me, enforce my rights like every other Nigerian,’” he emphasized.
He heavily criticized what he termed the “VIP culture of impunity,” where influential individuals were offered personalized solutions while ordinary citizens suffer.
“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 declared.
He elaborated on his intervention: “I asked the manager, ‘What is this woman’s crime? She has a baby that’s no more than six months old. How can you refuse to board her when the aircraft is still on the ground and more people are buying tickets?’ You cannot continue like this. Tomorrow, everyone will blame the government. 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.”
“By the time the DSS and Air Force personnel came to find out what happened, they intervened and offered to put the woman on the next flight, the same offer they had made to me earlier. But to board that next flight, they told her she would have to pay N109,100. This was in addition to the original N146,000 ticket, meaning she would spend about N256,000 for a one-hour flight to Abuja. There were many others in the same situation, and everyone was shouting at the airport.”
“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.’”
“I had to send that woman N500,000. That’s basically what happened. 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.”
Oshiomhole questioned the oversight role of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and urgently called on the federal government to intervene. He stated, “How can you profit from your own inefficiency?”
“This is ruthless, primitive capitalism. Nigerians are unprotected. The government must act.”
He warned that continued injustice and exploitation could ignite deeper public anger and unrest.
“When people give up hope, bullets will not stop them. The least a government can do is to protect its citizens from exploitation,” he concluded.
