Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, has called for a thorough investigation into the recent altercation between Air Peace and Senator Adams Oshiomhole at the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos.
The minister gave the directive on Friday, June 13, in response to a public dispute following an incident on Wednesday, June 11, in which Air Peace accused the senator, who represents Edo North, of disrupting operations after allegedly missing a scheduled flight.
Videos circulating on social media showed Oshiomhole addressing an airport official and later sitting in protest in front of a gate at Zulu Hall, located at the airport’s Terminal 1.
Oshiomhole, in his defence, denied causing any disruption and instead accused the airline of extortion, claiming passengers who had already checked in online were told to pay additional fees before boarding.
Air Peace, in a strongly worded rebuttal, dismissed the senator’s allegations as “deliberate falsehood” and insisted that no passenger was asked to pay extra after the check-in deadline had passed.
Keyamo confirmed that he had been in direct communication with both parties since the incident and appealed for restraint in their public exchanges.
“In the wake of the incident at the Lagos Airport last Wednesday involving AIRPEACE Airline and His Excellency, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, I have been in direct contact with both parties since that morning,” the minister said.
“Whilst appealing to both sides to halt the public accusations and counter-accusations, I am further directing the relevant aviation agencies to thoroughly look into the issue, collect all available evidence and revert to my office so we can deal with the issue in such a way as to guide future conduct in similar situations.”
Keyamo also cautioned aviation authorities against rushing to conclusions, urging them to observe due process and the principle of fair hearing before issuing any determinations.
