Category Nigeria News

Air Peace has dismissed claims by the senator representing Edo North, Adams Oshiomhole, that he was extorted and unfairly denied boarding, stating that the former Edo State governor did not check in online as alleged and arrived late for his scheduled flight.

Speaking on Channels Televsion’s Politics Today on Monday, Air Peace’s Operations Manager, Ayodeji Adeyemi, rejected what he described as “false allegations” made by the senator, suggesting they may have been motivated by personal reasons.

“Oshiomhole has made several allegations, and we stand by the fact that they are false. He came late for his flight — that’s already been established, and he didn’t deny it. He came to the airport requesting to board when the flight had closed,” Adeyemi said.

Adeyemi challenged the senator’s claim of checking in online before his arrival, explaining that Air Peace’s backend systems reflect all online check-ins, which automatically generate a boarding pass with seat details.

“He never checked in online. He only tried to sway public opinion by showing his phone on TV. If he truly checked in online, he should produce the boarding pass issued to him. Till now, he has not done that.

“If you check in online, your name appears on our manifest and system. He wasn’t there. We couldn’t find him on our checked-in list,” Adeyemi stated.

Commenting on the timeline, Adeyemi noted, “He came in after 6 am. Our check-in closes 45 minutes before departure — that’s standard. The flight was for 6:30 am, and at the time he arrived, the door of the aircraft was already shut.”

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Adeyemi also addressed the viral video showing an Air Peace staff speaking with Oshiomhole in a secluded part of the terminal.

“Nobody cornered him (Oshimhole). Given his status, the official only tried to explain that since he had missed the flight, the next one was at 8:30 am, and to board that, he would need to change his ticket and pay the appropriate fees,” he said.

‘Standard Practice, Not Extortion’

On the senator’s allegations of extortion, the airline manager clarified, “When you miss a flight, you’re charged a ‘no-show’ fee under standard aviation policies. If you select a new flight, you may also pay a fare difference depending on availability and demand. That’s not extortion — it’s standard practice.”

He further pointed out that two of the women referenced by Oshiomhole as victims of the same situation were not on that specific flight.

Oshiomhole’s Claims

Meanwhile, appearing on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, Senator Oshiomhole insisted he had checked in online the night before the flight and denied arriving late.

He said, “My Air Peace ordeal symbolises Nigerians’ frustration. This rift is not between me and Air Peace. No fair-minded person can say it is. It was institutional extortion. I refused to be taken care of. I had already checked in. I arrived between 6 am and five minutes past six. The purpose of checking in online is so that you don’t have to check in again.

“I insisted that checking me in was not a secret deal. Many of those who were there were denied boarding. They were asked to pay additional charges on the spot, different from what they had paid online.

“While the manager was trying to sort me out, I said, ‘You don’t need to sort me out. Respect the rights of these people.’ A woman who paid ₦146,000 was asked to pay ₦109,900 more in order to fly. For me, they were not going to take any extra money. I refused to be isolated. Why should I be excused?”

The incident occurred last week at Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, where Oshiomhole allegedly disrupted operations following his denied boarding.

The Anambra State Police Command has confirmed the death of a police inspector, Okolie Amechi, who was accidentally shot by his 10-year-old son.

It said that the incident occurred on Sunday evening.

It explained that the son, who was unaware of the state of the AK 47 assigned to Amechi, pulled the trigger and struck his father in the back.

The Command also said the the inspector’s second child was struck in the hand due to the accidental discharge.

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“The Anambra State Police Command expressed sadness over the unfortunate incident that resulted in the death of Police Inspector Okolie Amechi in Awka.

“The son unaware of the state, of the AK 47 rifle assigned to the inspector, pulled the trigger and struck the inspector in the back and his second child in the hand,” a statement by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, read in part.

It further noted that Amechi was confirmed dead at a hospital, adding that the rifle had been recovered.

“Regrettably, Inspector Amechi was taken to the hospital and was confirmed dead by the doctor on duty while the second victim is responding to treatment.

“Also, the rifle has been recovered and the remains of the deceased have been deposited in the morgue.

The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has conveyed the Federal Government’s commitment to contain the killings in Benue State and bring the perpetrators to justice.

Several people were killed over the weekend at Yelewata in Benue State following a vicious attack on the border town by suspected herdsmen.

Following the incident, President Bola Tinubu directed security chiefs to implement his earlier directive to bring lasting peace and security to the state.

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Tinubu charged the governor with convening reconciliation meetings and dialogue among the warring parties to end the incessant bloodshed and bring lasting peace and harmonious coexistence between farmers, herders, and communities.

Speaking at a meeting with Governor Hyacinth Alia on Monday at the government house in Makurdi, Egbetokun reiterated Tinubu’s worries over the killings in Benue which also touches on the territorial sovereignty of the nation.

Also speaking during the visit of the IGP, Alia appreciated the President and the Nigerian security services for stepping up operations to contain the attacks.

He, however, lamented the surge of attacks on vulnerable communities and called for strategies that would keep Benue residents safe.

The IGP later left the government house for the scene of attacks in Yelewata to see things for himself and make an assessment of how to contain the crisis in Benue.

The Nigerian Union of Journalists has condemned the recent attacks in Yelwata, Benue State, which claimed several lives, saying that such incidents tarnish Nigeria’s image globally.

In a statement on Monday, the NUJ said that the world had been horrified by the killings in the state in the past few days.

“These killings, in Yelwata, Guma local government council, are coming on the heels of other violent tragedies that have led to the gruesome loss of lives. The capacity of incidences such as this to erode public confidence in the nation-state, and negatively impact the international image of Nigeria cannot be overstated,” the statement read in part.

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While noting that the security of lives and property is the most basic responsibility of the government, the union lamented that this has proven to be a very difficult task for successive governments in the last 15 years.

It wondered how a country that sacrificed the lives of its soldiers to ensure lasting peace abroad, now lacks the will and ability to defend the homestead.

It said, “Nigeria needs her citizens to believe in her capacity to keep them safe and secure. This is the most basic of all enshrined responsibilities of the state. Section 14 (2)(b)of the 1999 Federal Constitution as amended makes an uncompromising declaration on the primary duty of the state to keep her citizens safe.

“Sadly, in the past 15 years, various governments across political lines have struggled ineffectively to fulfill this crucial obligation. As we have maintained in previous lamentations on the killings of our peoples from the North, East, South, and West of our geopolitical space, we refuse to believe that the Nigerian state has lost the ability to protect both her territories and her people.”

The union also said that it refused to believe that a country that sacrificed the lives of her soldiers to ensure lasting peace abroad in Liberia and Sierra Leone now lacked the will and ability to defend the homestead.