Adams Oshiomhole, former Edo State Governor and Senator representing Edo North, has accused Nigerian airline Air Peace of unethical practices after he was allegedly denied boarding a scheduled flight to Abuja despite checking in online.
Oshiomhole made the allegations in an interview with Vanguard following the circulation of a viral video on social media showing him engaged in a heated exchange with airport officials at the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos.
According to the former Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) president, the airline prevented him and several other passengers from boarding a 6:30 a.m. flight on Monday, despite having valid tickets and completing online check-in procedures. He alleged that Air Peace instead resold the seats on the spot to passengers willing to pay significantly higher fares.
“I booked Air Peace. They delayed my flight for over five hours and eventually cancelled it. I had to get another ticket. So, yesterday, I booked their first flight for today at 6:30 a.m. I checked in online along with two Ghanaians who were with me in Lagos,” Oshiomhole said.
He said he arrived at the airport around 6:05 a.m., only to be informed that the boarding gate had closed — a claim he contested, noting that the flight was scheduled to depart at 6:30 a.m. and that he had no checked luggage.
“I showed them my online check-in confirmation. Still, they told me the gate was closed. Meanwhile, I noticed that they were still taking in other passengers,” he said. “How can you close boarding at 6:05 for a 6:30 flight? Then what is the purpose of online check-in?”
Oshiomhole alleged that the airline was reselling tickets on the spot for between ₦200,000 and ₦300,000, compared to the lower rates paid by those who had booked in advance. He cited the case of a female passenger with an infant who arrived at 5:55 a.m. but was told she was late. Her ₦146,000 ticket was rendered unusable, and she was asked to pay an additional ₦109,100 to board a subsequent flight.
“Effectively, she was asked to pay ₦256,000 for a one-hour flight to Abuja. There were many others in the same situation. Everyone was shouting at the airport,” he said.
Oshiomhole said security personnel, including officials from the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Air Force, later intervened but the airline only offered affected passengers seats on the next flight — at extra cost.
The senator claimed he eventually gave the stranded woman ₦500,000 to cover her expenses and demanded accountability from the airline.
“I told the manager, ‘You must follow the rules.’ You cannot board people buying tickets on the spot and deny those who booked days earlier or checked in online,” he said.
Oshiomhole also criticized regulatory agencies for failing to curb what he described as exploitative practices in Nigeria’s aviation sector.
“This is how people get frustrated. Everyone ends up blaming the government, but you have regulatory agencies that are compromising,” he said. “This kind of behaviour cannot be allowed to continue.”
Efforts to get a response from Air Peace were unsuccessful as of press time. The airline has yet to issue an official statement on the incident.
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