By Abiola Olawale
Air Peace, one of Nigeria’s leading airlines, has unleashed a scathing press statement, condemning a prominent politician for allegedly unleashing chaos at Murtala Muhammed Airport earlier on Wednesday.
Although, Air Peace failed to mention the name of the politician in its press statement, video and pictures evidence circulating have revealed that the development surrounds Senator Adams Oshiomhole, the lawmaker representing Edo North Senatorial District of Edo State at the Senate.
But close aides to Oshiomhole debunked the claims, stressing that the trouble started with Airpeace for not being a stickler to time and failing to act in line standard departure procedures.
According to the aide, Oshiomhole arrived on time but the airline, without any prior announcement or information, had apparently rescheduled the flight the former governor booked to depart from Lagos.
However, according to Air Peace’s statement, the politician stormed into Terminal 1 (Zulu Hall) at Murtala Muhammed Airport, expecting to board Air Peace Flight P47120 to Abuja.
Scheduled for a 6:30 AM departure, the flight had already closed boarding as per the airline’s strict one-time departure policy.
The statement claimed this infuriated the politician and he allegedly erupted into violence.
The statement added that the politician, who has been identified as Oshiomhole, allegedly physically assaulted staff, forcefully barricaded the terminal entrance, and obstructed other passengers from accessing the gate.
“Upon being informed of the missed flight, the politician resorted to violence, physically assaulting our staff and forcefully barricading the terminal’s entrance. He went as far as sealing the entry gate and manning the access point, effectively obstructing other passengers from gaining entry into the terminal,” Air Peace alleged.
Air Peace said the disruption caused significant delays for other passengers. In response, the airline activated a contingency plan to reroute travelers through an alternate terminal to minimise the chaos.
