Senator Adams Oshiomhole, representing Edo North and former Governor of Edo State, has criticized domestic airline Air Peace, accusing the carrier of deliberately locking out passengers who booked tickets early to resell seats at higher prices to last-minute travelers.
The incident occurred on Wednesday morning at Zulu Hall, Terminal 1 of Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, where Oshiomhole was seen in a viral video confronting airline staff after being denied boarding for a flight to Abuja, despite completing an online check-in.
In an interview with Vanguard, Oshiomhole recounted that he had booked the airline’s 6:30 a.m. flight and checked in online ahead of time, but upon arrival at 6:05 a.m., he was informed that the boarding gate had already closed.
“I checked in online to avoid delays, arrived at 6:05 for a 6:30 flight, and they still refused to let me board. Meanwhile, I saw them allowing others to board after me,” Oshiomhole stated.
He alleged that the airline was exploiting passengers by reselling seats at inflated prices to those willing to pay more on the spot.
“A lady who bought a ticket for N146,000 was turned back, but they were reselling tickets for N200,000–N300,000 to last-minute buyers. She was told to pay an additional N109,100 for the next flight,” he revealed.
Oshiomhole claimed the airline’s action confused the terminal, with many passengers voicing similar grievances.
“People were stranded unless they could afford another ticket. Even when security personnel came to calm the situation, passengers were still forced to pay extra for the next available flight,” he added.
The Senator said he personally gave the stranded lady N500,000 to cover her unexpected flight expenses and urged Nigeria’s aviation regulators to investigate and curb these exploitative practices.
“If this continues unchecked, ordinary Nigerians will keep suffering at the hands of these airlines. The regulatory agencies must wake up to their responsibility,” he warned.
The incident has sparked widespread debate on social media, with many Nigerians calling for stronger consumer protection policies in the aviation sector.
