Nigerian domestic carrier, Air Peace, has refuted allegations of passenger extortion levelled by Senator Adams Oshiomhole, calling his claims “deliberate falsehood” and accusing him of inciting disruption at a Lagos airport terminal after arriving late for a flight.
In a statement issued by the airline’s management on Thursday, Air Peace described the former Edo State governor’s accusation as “blatant lies,” challenging him to provide evidence of a single passenger who was extorted.
“Our attention has been drawn to the deliberate falsehood being peddled by Senator Adams Oshiomole against Air Peace. 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 statement read.
Oshiomhole had criticised Air Peace for denying him access to board a scheduled flight to Abuja despite completing the online check-in process ahead of time.
Addressing journalists during a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday evening, Oshiomhole expressed frustration over what he described as unprofessional conduct by airline staff at the airport.
He alleged that, although he had checked in online for a 6:30 a.m. flight along with two Ghanaian colleagues, he was barred from boarding upon arrival at the terminal shortly after 6:00 a.m.
According to Oshiomhole, Air Peace staff informed him that the boarding gate had been closed, even though he had no luggage and had presented evidence of his check-in.
He claimed that, during the encounter, he observed staff admitting other passengers while preventing him and others who had valid bookings from boarding.
The former Edo State governor further alleged that airline staff took advantage of the situation to exploit stranded passengers by selling tickets at inflated rates.
The airline insisted that no tickets were sold after the closure of check-in for the flight in question and that all passengers on board had purchased their tickets ahead of time. Air Peace further stressed that the flight was not overbooked, contrary to the impressions given in social media videos associated with Oshiomhole.
“In fact, the aircraft took off with over thirty (30) empty seats,” the airline said. “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.”
Refuting claims that Oshiomhole was advocating on behalf of other passengers, the airline alleged that the senator caused a serious disturbance at the terminal.
“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,” the statement said.
“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.”
Air Peace also accused the senator of deliberately instigating other passengers against the airline during the disruption.
Calling for the release of CCTV footage from the airport, the airline urged the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to provide surveillance recordings from the time Oshiomhole arrived at the terminal to allow Nigerians judge the incident for themselves.
“His accusation of extortion is very defamatory. His conduct was very violent, unbecoming, unfortunate, and above all, shameful,” Air Peace said.
The airline’s response follows a breaking story by SaharaReporters on Wednesday, which detailed how Senator Oshiomhole reportedly blocked access to the airport terminal and accused Air Peace staff of misconduct after missing his flight.
Sources at the airport told SaharaReporters that the senator blocked the entrance to the terminal entirely, refusing to budge despite multiple pleas from the terminal manager.
According to eyewitnesses, rather than accept responsibility for his lateness, the senator blocked the terminal’s entrance, creating a gridlock that left dozens of passengers stranded and delayed.
Sources said the terminal manager’s repeated efforts to resolve the disruption were met with obstinate refusal by Oshiomhole, forcing the regional manager to intervene.
A management meeting was hurriedly convened to pacify the senator and convince him to allow normal operations to resume.
Witnesses described the scene as chaotic and humiliating for airline and airport staff, who were seen pleading with the senator to de-escalate the situation.
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