Air Peace Refutes Oshiomhole’s Claims, Seeks Airport CCTV Footage

Air Peace has strongly denied recent accusations made by Senator Adams Oshiomhole, rejecting his claims of extortion and flight overbooking as false and unfounded.

In a statement issued by the airline’s management and shared on Thursday via X, Air Peace stated, “The Senator lied blatantly when he accused Air Peace of extorting its passengers. We challenge Senator Oshiomhole to bring one piece of evidence of a passenger that was extorted.”

The airline clarified that no tickets were sold after check-in had closed for the flight in question and emphasized that the aircraft departed with over 30 unoccupied seats.

“None of our staff ever extorted any passenger. In fact, the ticket was sold after the closure of check-in on that flight. Everyone who flew bought their ticket prior to the flight closure,” the statement continued.

Air Peace further maintained that the flight was not overbooked, directly contradicting Oshiomhole’s allegations: “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.”

Responding to additional accusations from the former Edo State governor, the airline accused him of misconduct at the airport: “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,” the statement said.

Air Peace called on the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to make surveillance footage from the airport public: “We call on FAAN to release the CCTV coverage starting from the time Senator Oshiomhole entered the airport for Nigerians to see. His accusation of extortion is very defamatory. His conduct was very violent, unbecoming, unfortunate, and, above all, shameful.”

Earlier, Senator Oshiomhole had shared his version of events, claiming that he missed his Air Peace flight from Lagos to Abuja due to what he described as the airline’s disorganized operations. He said he had already registered a complaint with Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development Festus Keyamo.

Describing the situation as chaotic, the senator remarked, “I think the only reason I am called now is because I am the only easily known face there, but honestly, the situation was more or less riotous in the morning around 6:00 am when I got to the airport.”

According to Oshiomhole, his difficulties with Air Peace began the previous week when one of their flights was delayed for five hours and later cancelled. He claimed he attempted to switch to Ibom Air but was not allowed to board even though his assistant had already checked in their luggage.

“I got there early, but they told me boarding was over. My assistant was already there with our checked-in luggage, but they refused to issue him the boarding pass, insisting on seeing me in person. By the time I arrived, they said they had closed,” he explained.

This disruption, he said, resulted in unexpected hotel costs for himself and a visiting Ghanaian delegation. “₦1.6 million,” he said, was spent on accommodation. He added that an Air Peace manager later assured him he could rebook for a 6:30 am flight on Wednesday and advised him to check in online, which he claimed he did at 9:00 pm on Tuesday.

However, upon arrival at the airport the next morning, Oshiomhole said he was informed the flight had already closed and was full.

“As I speak to you now, I’m still wearing yesterday’s clothes because my luggage has already left with my assistant. I showed them my online check-in and boarding pass, but they said the flight was full. That means they overbooked,” he alleged.

He further claimed that around 20 to 30 other passengers also missed the same flight and accused the airline of dubious practices.

“They tried to give me special treatment, but I refused. What about the others who can’t afford that amount? It seems they are selling tickets at higher rates at the counter, disregarding those who booked earlier. That’s racketeering,” Oshiomhole added.