The Chairman, Senate Committee on Interior, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, has petitioned Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo, over alleged extortion of passengers by some airlines at the country’s airports.
Oshiomhole also denied allegations of disrupting the operations of Air Peace Wednesday at the Murtala Mohammed Airport in Lagos.
He clarified that his insistence that he should not be treated differently from other frustrated passengers led to the falsehood narrative against him.
The Senator said he stood up against systemic extortion and poor customer service by the Nigerian airlines.
Air Peace had issued a statement where it accused Oshiomhole of allegedly disrupting airport operations after missing a scheduled flight.
The airline alleged that Oshiomhole had arrived late for Flight P47120, which was scheduled to depart for Abuja at 6:30am.
However, briefing journalists in Abuja, the senator representing Edo North said his recent experiences with Air Peace highlighted the growing impunity and disregard for passengers’ rights in the country’s aviation sector.
He told journalists that he had already written a comprehensive report of his experience to the minister, who, according to him, had assured him that he would probe the matter.
The former governor of Edo State showed documentary evidence and videos about how airlines were frustrating passengers at the airport, which he said had been forwarded to the minister for necessary action.
Oshiomhole explained that he had arrived the airport at 6:10pm for a 6:50pm flight on Tuesday, but was denied a boarding pass, even though he had met the airline’s check-in deadline of 30 minutes before departure.
He stated, “Yesterday, (Tuesday), I got to the airport 40 minutes ahead. My luggage was already checked in. They told me they had stopped issuing boarding passes. Meanwhile, I saw others arriving after me who were allowed to board,
“Despite holding business class tickets for myself and an aide, who was allowed to board, I was turned back.”
He lamented the arbitrary application of airline policies, which he said left him with a hotel bill of N1.5 million to accommodate himself and two stranded Ghanaian passengers.
Attempting to fly with Air Peace the next morning, Oshiomhole said he “arrived before 6:00am for a 6:30am flight, having checked in online by 9pm, the previous night.”
The senator said he was again denied boarding, alongside other passengers who were confused by a last-minute change in check-in policy from 30 to 45 minutes before departure.
Oshiomhole stated, “I got there about five minutes past six. They told me the counter was closed. I told them, ‘No, I’ve already checked in.’ I showed them the evidence of my online check-in. Even before then, they had asked if I had checked in, and I told them, yes, and that I had no luggage.
“They looked at it but still said the gate had been closed. Meanwhile, I noticed they were still taking other people in. So I asked, ‘How can you close boarding for a 6:30 flight at 6:05? What is the purpose of online check-in, then?’
“If I had to go through another check-in process, then what’s the point of checking in online? While speaking to them, I saw many men and women who had been there even before me, with similar experiences.
“Basically, they were selling tickets on the spot at higher prices. I’ll give you an example. A lady bought her ticket for N146,000 online. She arrived at the airport at 5:55am for the 6:30am flight, after the gatemen had delayed her.
“They told her she was late and that the counter had closed for check-in. She said that was impossible, as it wasn’t even 6:00am.
“They told her she would be put on the next flight. She protested, saying, ‘Why? Put me on this flight.’ But they told her the flight was full and she would have to wait.
“Meanwhile, the airline was selling tickets on the spot for N250,000. To take advantage of the situation, they discouraged those who had bought tickets online at lower rates and sold to people willing to pay more.
“I was told the counter had closed. But people were still being allowed to buy new tickets at higher prices.
“Those of us who had booked online for N146,000 were told we were late, while they sold new tickets for N250,000. That is not policy enforcement, it is extortion.”
Rejecting claims that he caused a disruption, Oshiomhole said he remained calm but firm, and only intervened when a crowd of stranded passengers, including women with babies, began to protest.
The Senator explained, “I didn’t disrupt anything. I refused to let them ‘sort me out’ while others were left stranded. They offered to help me once they recognised me. I said, don’t help me, enforce my rights like every other Nigerian.”
He criticised what he called the “VIP culture of impunity,” where influential people were offered personalised solutions while ordinary citizens suffered.
Oshiomhole stated, “That’s the real problem, big men get sorted, and the rest of Nigerians are ignored. If speaking out makes me a troublemaker, then I’ll cause trouble forever. I asked the manager, ‘What is this woman’s crime? She has a baby that’s no more than six months old.
“How can you refuse to board her when the aircraft is still on the ground and more people are buying tickets?’ You cannot continue like this. Tomorrow, everyone will blame the government.
“You have regulatory agencies, and they are all compromising. You cannot board people buying tickets on the spot and deny those who booked days ago or checked in online.”
