Former Edo Governor and former President of the Nigerian Labor Conference, Adams Oshiomhole, had requested an air peace incident on Wednesday morning. Speech during an interview pioneerOshiomhole offers a detailed account to dispute the event version of the airline.
Air Peace earlier claimed that Oshiomhole had clashed with its employees and sabotaged the operation after missing the flight. In response, the senator said the situation was exactly the opposite, accusing airlines of poor service and abuse of passengers.
According to him, “I booked a flight with air peace and after a five-hour delay they eventually canceled it. I had to buy another ticket. For the flight at 6:30 am today, I completed the online check-in, as did the two Ghanaians who were traveling with me. We did this to avoid having problems at the airport.”
He arrived at the terminal shortly after 6:00 a.m. but was told the boarding was closed. “I showed evidence that I had signed in online, no luggage,” he said. “But they insisted on closing the door, even if I saw them still allowed others to pass.”
He asked about the logic of closing the boarding so early: “How do you close the boarding at 6:30 at 6:05? If you can’t guarantee boarding, what is the meaning of online check-in?”
Oshiomhole said he was not alone, noting that several other passengers who arrived earlier and conducted online check-ups were also denied boarding. “At the same time, tickets were sold on the spot at exaggerated prices – from 200,000 n200,000 to N300,000, while those who had paid were stranded,” he said.
He shared that a woman bought N146,000 tickets with a six-month-old baby and arrived at the airport before 6:00 a.m., when she was told the flight was full. “They proposed to send her to the next flight if she paid an additional N109,100. One more than N250,000, and one trip to Abuja.”
According to Oshiomhole, security personnel, including DSS and Air Force officials, intervened after witnessing passengers becoming increasingly frustrated. “I faced the airline staff and asked them to follow the rules. The whole scene became chaotic. Many of us were trapped simply because we paid earlier, while others were boarded after buying tickets for a higher price.”
He said he maintained solidarity with passengers despite providing a private lounge. “People urged me to stay. They said it was something that happened a lot. I ended up giving this lady N500,000 to help pay for her unexpected expenses.”
Oshiomhole ended up insisting: “What happened was not my interference, but a reflection of the airline’s disregard for customer service and due process. I followed the rules, checked in online and arrived early. It was unacceptable to sell tickets on site when denied when boarding.”
