ABUJA – Senator Adams Oshiomhole, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Interior, has denied allegations that he disrupted the operations of Air Peace, stating that his actions were in protest against the airline’s alleged extortion of poor Nigerians.

The former President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) explained that he rejected preferential treatment and instead stood up against systemic extortion and poor customer service by Nigerian airlines. He vowed to resist situations where ordinary Nigerians are exploited, declaring that such practices must be stopped.

Addressing journalists in Abuja on Wednesday, the former Edo State Governor shared documented evidence and videos to support his claims. He recounted his recent experiences with Air Peace, which he said highlighted the growing impunity and disregard for passengers’ rights in Nigeria’s aviation sector.

Air Peace had earlier accused Oshiomhole of disrupting airport operations after missing a scheduled flight. The airline claimed he arrived late for Flight P47120, which was set to depart for Abuja at 6:30 a.m.

However, Oshiomhole refuted the allegations, stating that on Tuesday, he arrived at the airport at 6:10 p.m. for a 6:50 p.m. flight but was denied a boarding pass despite meeting the airline’s 30-minute check-in deadline.

“Yesterday, I got to the airport 40 minutes ahead. My luggage was already checked in. But they told me they had stopped issuing boarding passes. Meanwhile, I saw others arriving after me who were allowed to board,” he said.

Despite holding business class tickets for himself and an aide—who was allowed to board—Oshiomhole was turned back. He lamented the arbitrary application of airline policies, which left him with a hotel bill of N1.5 million to accommodate himself and two stranded Ghanaian passengers.

The next morning, he arrived before 6:00 a.m. for a 6:30 a.m. flight, having checked in online by 9:00 p.m. the previous night. Yet, he was again denied boarding, alongside other passengers affected by a last-minute change in check-in policy from 30 to 45 minutes before departure.

“I got there at about five minutes past six. They told me the counter was closed. I showed them my online check-in confirmation, but they insisted the gate was closed. Meanwhile, they were still allowing other passengers to board,” he said.

Oshiomhole accused the airline of exploiting passengers by selling tickets on the spot at inflated prices while denying boarding to those who had booked earlier at lower rates.

“A lady bought her ticket for N146,000 online but was told she was late when she arrived at 5:55 a.m. They offered to put her on the next flight but demanded an additional N109,100, bringing her total cost to N256,000 for a one-hour flight,” he said.

He denied causing a disruption, stating that he only intervened when stranded passengers, including women with babies, began protesting.

“I didn’t disrupt anything. I refused to let them ‘sort me out’ while others were left stranded. I told them, ‘Don’t help me, enforce my rights like every other Nigerian,’” he said.

Oshiomhole criticized the “VIP culture of impunity,” where influential individuals receive preferential treatment while ordinary citizens suffer.

“If speaking out makes me a troublemaker, then I’ll cause trouble forever,” he declared.

He called on the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the federal government to intervene, warning that continued exploitation could lead to public unrest.

“When people give up hope, bullets will not stop them. The least a government can do is protect its citizens from exploitation,” he said.