AM EDITORIAL: A Nigerian Senator As An Unruly Passenger?

On Wednesday, June 11, 2025, Air Peace accused Senator Adams Oshiomhole, a former Edo State Governor and current senator representing Edo North Constituency in Nigeria of unruly conduct, accusing him of disrupting airport operations.

According to Air Peace, the Senator arrived at Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal 1 (Zulu Hall) at approximately 06:10 AM for Flight P47120 scheduled to depart Lagos for Abuja at 06:30AM. The boarding process had closed, and the flight departed as scheduled.

Upon being informed of the missed flight, the politician resorted to violence, physically assaulting the airline’s staff and forcefully barricading the terminal’s entrance. He sealed the entry gate and manned the access point, effectively obstructing other passengers from gaining entry into the terminal. “To minimize 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.”

In response, Senator Oshiomhole later addressed journalists in Abuja, denying the allegations of disrupting Air Peace operations, insisting instead that he rejected preferential treatment and stood up against what he described as systemic extortion and poor customer service by Nigerian airlines.

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.

“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?”

“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.”

He alleged that “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.”

“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,” he said.

“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.”

He alleged that there was a woman who had 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 checked in online and arrived on time. The aircraft hadn’t taken off. I’m not supposed to check in twice.” He questioned the oversight role of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and called on the federal government to intervene.

Air Peace thereafter, issued another statement describing Oshiomhole’s claims as “deliberate falsehood being peddled” against Air Peace.

Air Peace said “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. None of our staff ever extorted any passenger. In fact, no ticket was sold after the closure of check-in on that flight. Everyone who flew bought their ticket prior to the flight closure.

Again, our flight was never overbooked as some of his videos alleged. In fact, 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 Oshiomhole was not fighting for anyone. He came to the airport late and was told that he was late. He then began to foment trouble. 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. While he was doing all these, he also deliberately instigated other passengers against the airline.”

On this saga, we call for a full investigation of allegations of extortion leveled against Air Peace by the Senator. Was there a case of extortion or unruly passenger? Investigation is important here because Air Peace has in recent years, been Nigeria’s largest scheduled airline and has a reputation as a corporate citizen, often going above and beyond to assist stranded Nigerians free of charge, apart from offering commercial passenger services. It cannot afford to lower passenger confidence with alleged passenger extortion or even poor passenger service. If the airline feels its staff had been physically assaulted and operations disrupted, filing a law suit against Oshiomhole might be necessary. Oshiomhole’s accusation of extortion may also be defamatory.

As for the Senator, he needs to learn how to comport himself in public. His claims to have been fighting for other people sounds merely political and could have been done in a more decent manner of reporting the situation immediately to the Consumer Protection Unit of the NCAA or filing a court suit on his agitation beneficiaries’ behalf, rather than adopting self help approach. Disrupting an airline’s operations, an airport service activity and denying other passengers rights to access the counter, amount to unruly behaviour, irrespective of status of whoever does so.

Without mincing words, barricading entry to the Zulu Terminal building and standing on Air Peace counter in protest, is display of arrogance and violation of other people’s freedom. Can he do this in advanced climes like the United Kingdom and United States?

Also, one wonders what FAAN’s Aviation Security Personnel and other airport security agencies were doing while this lasted because it was an obvious breach of airport security.

This lawmaker also needs to know that globally, airlines have cut-off times within which the passenger must arrive the airport before departure of the flight, even if he or she had checked in online and had no luggage. The time the boarding gate closes is usually printed on your boarding pass. Once you are late, whether you see the aircraft on ground or not is immaterial.

For Air Peace, physical check-in closes 45 minutes before scheduled flight departure for domestic flights. It is 90 minutes for international flights.

The Air Peace-Oshiomhole saga is a call on Nigeria’s airlines to work on their customer service and review their check-in modes. It is discouraging to report at an airline counter for a trip and start check-in process all over again after online booking, even though online check-in does not shield an air traveler from physical profiling before being allowed to enter the sterile area. There is a need to perfect or improve on the online booking system and check-in processes.

Poor passenger service by airlines is not peculiar to one airline. On June 12, 2025, another local airline reportedly delayed Lagos-Abuja-Jos bound flight for eight hours, only to cancel the flight thereafter.

Truth be told! These days, many domestic air travellers in Nigeria fly only because they don’t have an alternative. Due to recurring cases of poor passenger service by some local airlines, many travelers that hitherto did, no longer look forward to air travel, even though we know that airlines alone cannot be blamed for this, as airport authorities and other agencies have their share of the blame.

For those who choose to travel by air however, every airline rule has to be respected. Aviation is a regulated industry and we restate here that there is a provision for punishment of an established unruly behaviour, even when it is exhibited by a Senator. If after investigation of the Air Peace-Oshiomhole case, unruly behaviour by the Senator is established and he is not punished, anyone who has been charged, punished or convicted for exhibiting unruly behaviour at a Nigerian airport has to be granted pardon. AM