Air Peace has fired back at Senator Adams Oshiomhole over his recent accusations of extortion and overbooking, labelling them as “deliberate falsehoods” and calling for the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to release CCTV footage to clarify the events.
In a strongly worded statement released on Thursday via X (formerly Twitter), the airline dismissed the senator’s allegations and maintained that no ticket sales occurred after the flight’s check-in closed. “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,” the airline declared.
According to Air Peace, the flight in question departed with more than 30 empty seats and was not overbooked, contrary to Oshiomhole’s claims. “Everyone who flew had purchased their ticket before the check-in deadline. None of our staff extorted any passenger, nor was any ticket sold post-check-in,” the statement read.
Air Peace further accused Senator Oshiomhole of disruptive conduct at the airport, stating that he arrived late for his flight and reacted aggressively when denied boarding. “He jumped on the baggage conveyor belt, preventing the check-in process of other flights. He also barricaded the entrance gate, stopping access to the terminal,” the airline alleged.
The airline has called on FAAN to release surveillance footage capturing the senator’s actions from the moment he arrived at the airport. “His accusation of extortion is defamatory. His conduct was violent, unfortunate, and unbecoming of a public official,” the statement said.
Earlier, Senator Oshiomhole had blamed Air Peace for causing him to miss his flight from Lagos to Abuja, citing poor organisation and alleging the airline was engaged in racketeering. He claimed that despite checking in online the night before and arriving at the airport around 6:00 a.m., he was informed that the flight was closed and full. He also stated that his luggage had already been checked in by his assistant, who was denied a boarding pass in his absence.
Oshiomhole further recounted an earlier incident involving a five-hour flight delay and subsequent cancellation, which reportedly forced him to incur ₦1.6 million in unplanned hotel expenses for himself and a visiting delegation from Ghana.
He maintained that around 20 to 30 other passengers also missed the flight and claimed the airline was reselling seats at higher prices at the counter. “They tried to offer me special treatment, but I refused. What about the regular passengers? This is pure racketeering,” he alleged.
The back-and-forth between the airline and the senator has sparked widespread reactions, with many Nigerians calling for full transparency through the release of airport surveillance footage to determine the facts of the matter.
