A heated drama unfolded at the Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal 1 in Lagos on Wednesday morning as former Edo State Governor and serving Senator, Adams Oshiomhole, accused Air Peace of defrauding passengers through a calculated boarding scam, while the airline countered with allegations of violent conduct and obstruction against the lawmaker.
The incident, which sparked public outrage and heavy security presence at the terminal, was captured in viral videos showing Oshiomhole blocking the departure gate in protest after he was reportedly denied boarding on a flight for which he had checked in online.
In an interview following the incident, Oshiomhole alleged that Air Peace deliberately barred passengers who had booked flights early—often at lower prices—from boarding, while reselling the same seats at inflated rates to last-minute buyers.
“I booked Air Peace’s 6:30 a.m. flight, checked in online the night before, and arrived around 6:05 a.m. with no luggage. I was shocked when they said boarding had closed, even though the aircraft was still on the ground,” he said.
“Other passengers who had also arrived early were turned back, while new tickets were being sold for between N200,000 and N300,000 on the spot.”
The senator recounted a specific case involving a woman with an infant who arrived at the airport at 5:55 a.m. for the same flight but was similarly denied boarding.
According to him, she was told to pay an additional ₦109,100 for the next flight—on top of the ₦146,000 she had already paid for the original ticket.
Oshiomhole said he confronted the airline’s manager, questioning the policy that allowed for re-selling of reserved seats.
He described the situation as a systemic exploitation enabled by weak regulation and compromised oversight.
“It’s an absolute scam. This woman, with a six-month-old baby, was told she was late despite arriving before 6:00 a.m. She was then asked to pay almost double the original fare for another flight,” he said.
“I had to personally give her N500,000 to sort out the mess. This is not just about me—it’s about the hundreds of Nigerians being shortchanged daily.”
However, Air Peace painted a starkly different picture.
In a statement titled “Unruly Conduct by Prominent Politician at Lagos Airport: Air Peace Reaffirms Zero Tolerance for Violence”, the airline accused Oshiomhole of resorting to physical confrontation after missing his flight.
“Upon being informed that he had missed the flight, the politician became aggressive. He physically assaulted our staff, sealed the terminal entrance, and obstructed access for other passengers,” the statement read.
The airline noted that its operations were severely disrupted by the senator’s actions, forcing it to activate a contingency plan and reroute affected passengers through an alternate terminal.
“We are deeply disappointed that a high-profile individual could act in such a disruptive manner,” Air Peace said. “We maintain a zero-tolerance policy for violence against our staff or fellow passengers.”
Eyewitness accounts have added fuel to the fire. A fellow passenger took to social media to corroborate the airline’s position, writing: “Adams Oshiomhole caused serious problems at MM1 this morning.
He came late for his flight and blocked the gate with his security team after the plane had already departed.”
But Oshiomhole insisted he was not late and had followed all proper procedures, including online check-in.
He attributed the confrontation to the airline’s alleged ticket racketeering and urged aviation authorities to investigate the matter urgently.
“If the regulators are failing in their duties, passengers will continue to suffer this sort of humiliation and financial exploitation. The chaos at the airport was not just about me—it was about a system that needs to be cleaned up,” he said.
As of press time, aviation regulatory authorities were yet to issue an official response to the unfolding controversy.
However, calls for an independent investigation are mounting, with critics demanding greater accountability from domestic carriers operating in Nigeria..
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