NIGERIANS have been reacting to mild drama and an altercation involving Adams Oshiomole, Senator representing Edo North, and Airpeace staff at Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal 1 (Zulu Hall) on Wednesday morning.

The altercation, which disrupted flight operations on Wednesday, June 11, elicited reactions from many Nigerians who condemned the action and berated Airpeace for occasional violations of flight schedules.

The incident occurred at around 6:10 am when Oshiomole arrived at the terminal for a flight to Abuja, scheduled to depart at 6:30 am.

Oshiomole, upon arrival, had demanded to be boarded, checking in, noting that he had done an online check-in. This development led to an altercation with some staff of the company, leading to flight delays for some passengers.

Although Airpeace were silent in naming  Adams Oshiomole in their clarification statement, whom they described as a prominent Nigerian politician, multiple media reports cited a viral video which showed that Oshiomole was the senator in question.

Nigerians react

Many Nigerians have condemned the action and berated Airpeace for not mentioning Oshiomole’s name, whom they described as a ‘prominent politician’ in their clarification statement.

An X user, @jenslaw, commented, “I’m sure Lagos traffic was instrumental to his late arrival. However, why is Air Peace shying away from naming the said prominent politician?”

Another user, Terfa Tilley-Gyado, shared a similar view.

He said, “Name him. Even in the face of gross misconduct, why are we still protecting these badly behaved people?”

On the flip side, Dare, @oludarrey, who said he did not support the behaviour of the politician, knocked the airline for its incessant flight delays.

“However, flight companies take advantage of us a lot. They will delay flights, repeatedly postpone flight times, and make people miss appointments, but will close boarding and refuse passengers even 20 minutes before flight time,” he commented.

A.U. Mohammed shared his view, stating that he agreed with Dare’s position.

“We need to hear the other side of this story. I was at MM1 just 2 years ago, and a lady came with her baby 30 minutes before flight time, and they said boarding had stopped. They wanted to shortchange her. I was the one who told her to cause chaos,” he recalled.

Airpeace clarification statement about the flight disruption

Meanwhile, Airpeace has officially condemned the behaviour of Oshiomole at the Lagos airport for flight violation.

In a statement issued today on its X handle, Air Peace said it strongly condemns the unruly conduct of the prominent Nigerian politician who disrupted airport operations on the morning of Wednesday, June 11.

Although Airpeace were silent on the name of the prominent politician, multiple media reports cited a viral video that revealed the politician to be former labour leader Adams Oshiomole, who currently serves as the Senator representing the Edo North Senatorial district at the National Assembly.

It explained that the prominent individual in question arrived at the Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal 1 (Zulu Hall) at approximately 06:10 AM for Flight P47120 scheduled to depart Lagos for Abuja at 06:30 AM.

In line with its standard on-time departure policy, the boarding process had closed, and the flight departed as scheduled.

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.

“This unacceptable behaviour caused significant disruption to ongoing operations and affected numerous travellers scheduled for various flights,” the airline claimed.

It also claimed that it swiftly activated an operational contingency plan to board affected passengers through an alternate terminal, ensuring the continuity of their travel plans to minimise further inconvenience.

“We are deeply saddened that such a high-profile figure displayed conduct so unbecoming and disruptive to fellow passengers and our personnel. Air Peace maintains a zero-tolerance stance on violence or any form of aggression against our staff and passengers.

“We urge all guests to remain civil and cooperative at all times. Aviation operations are bound by strict timelines and safety protocols, and we remain committed to upholding these standards while delivering safe and timely services to the Nigerian public,” the airline added.

Meanwhile, The ICIR reports that there has been concern over airline operations resulting in flight delays and cancellations.

Lately, the Nigerian Senate summoned the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, over incessant flight delays and cancellations suffered by passengers in recent times.

The ICIR reported in December 2024 that data obtained from the NCAA shows that 19,250 passengers were delayed for long hours during the first half of the year.