Yemi Obafemi
Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, has waded into the ongoing controversy between Air Peace and Senator Adams Oshiomhole over a recent altercation at Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed Airport.
In a statement on Friday, Keyamo confirmed he has been in direct contact with both parties following the incident, which occurred last Wednesday and has since sparked public accusations and counter-accusations. He urged both sides to exercise restraint and allow for a fair investigation.
“I have been in direct contact with both parties since that morning,” Keyamo stated. “I also directed the aviation agencies to exercise restraint in jumping to conclusions, in line with the time-honoured legal principle of ‘hear all sides’ before reaching judgment.”
The minister further directed relevant aviation agencies to launch a comprehensive investigation into the matter and submit a full report to his office to help shape future conduct in similar scenarios.
The clash stems from an incident involving Senator Oshiomhole and Air Peace, after the senator missed a scheduled flight to Abuja in early June.
Air Peace alleged that Oshiomhole confronted airline staff and disrupted operations, causing delays for other passengers.
The airline condemned what it described as “unruly conduct” and reaffirmed its zero-tolerance policy for such behavior.
Responding to the claims, Senator Oshiomhole denied disrupting airport operations and instead accused the airline of attempting to extort him after he missed his flight.
According to him, Air Peace staff allegedly demanded additional payments to accommodate him on another flight, which he refused.
Air Peace strongly denied the extortion allegation, calling it “very defamatory” and challenged Oshiomhole to provide any evidence to support his claims.
The airline clarified that no tickets were sold after the check-in deadline and that all passengers onboard had valid tickets purchased prior to that time.
“Our attention has been drawn to the deliberate falsehood being peddled by Senator Adams Oshiomhole against Air Peace,” the airline said in a statement signed by its management.
