Passengers, airport staff and bystanders were left shocked this morning as Senator Adams Oshiomhole (APC, Edo North) allegedly disrupted operations at the Murtala Muhammad International Airport, Lagos, after missing his Air Peace flight to Abuja, the nation’s capital.
Eye witnesses wondered if indeed the country had become a banana Republic.
A statement by Air Peace, which confirmed the incident, accused Oshiomhole of “unacceptable, unbecoming, violent, unruly conduct”, adding that he allegedly physically assaulted the airline’s staff in the process.
As per reports in both Sahara Reporters and Factsheet newspapers, Nigerians and others present were aghast at the actions of the former governor of Edo State and former President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
According to Sahara Reporters , Oshiomhole forced the closure of the Zulu Terminal at the General Aviation Terminal (GAT) of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos after arriving late for his flight to Abuja.
The paper said it gathered from credible sources at the airport that Oshiomhole blocked the entrance to the Zulu Terminal of the GAT after arriving at the terminal well past the scheduled departure time of his flight.
Oshiomhole was scheduled to travel on an early morning Air Peace flight. His departure time for the flight to Abuja was 6:30 am.
Sources at the airport said the senator blocked the entrance to the terminal entirely, refusing to budge despite multiple pleas from the terminal manager.
According to eyewitnesses, rather than accept responsibility for his lateness, the senator blocked the terminal’s entrance, creating a gridlock that left dozens of passengers stranded and delayed.
Sources said the terminal manager’s repeated efforts to resolve the disruption were met with obstinate refusal by Oshiomhole, forcing the regional manager to intervene.
A management meeting was hurriedly convened to pacify the senator and convince him to allow normal operations to resume.
Witnesses described the scene as chaotic and humiliating for airline and airport staff, who were seen pleading with the senator to de-escalate the situation.
Air Peace, the airline scheduled to fly the senator to Abuja, refused to accommodate him, citing his late arrival and adherence to strict check-in policies.
“He missed the flight. That’s the simple truth. He wanted them to delay the flight for him, but Air Peace refused,” a source familiar with the incident said.
“Oshiomhole blocked the terminal entrance completely until the regional manager came to resolve the issue. The terminal manager made all attempts to resolve it, but Oshiomhole rebuffed everything so he could not resolve the issue,” a source said.
“There was a management meeting called to beg Oshiomhole. He disrupted flights by shutting down the Zulu Terminal. The situation was so tense that a management meeting was hurriedly convened to plead with the senator to step aside so that operations could resume.”
Domestic airlines in Lagos operate from two main terminals: Murtala Mohammed 1 (MM1), also known as the General Aviation Terminal (GAT), and Murtala Mohammed 2 (MM2).
The General Aviation Terminal (GAT) has two sections—Alpha Hall and Zulu Hall.
The Zulu Terminal, formerly known as the old Ikeja Airport before it was relocated to the GAT after a fire incident in 2000, is the primary domestic wing of the MMIA. It handles flights to key destinations across Nigeria, including Abuja, Benin, Asaba, Port Harcourt, Ilorin, Enugu, Calabar, Uyo, Owerri, and Yola.
In 2023, the Federal Government completed a N2.2 billion expansion of the terminal under the supervision of then Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika, increasing its capacity fourfold—from 254 to 1,024 passengers,the paper noted.
Meanwhile, the management of Air Peace condemned the lawmaker’s actions in strong language.
In a statement issued by the airline, the All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmaker arrived the airport after boarding processes had been concluded and insisted that the aircraft must return to Lagos to fly him to Abuja,the paper claimed.
The action of the former labour leader forced the airline to board its passengers through an alternative terminal.
Part of the Air Peace statement read: “Air Peace strongly condemns the unruly conduct of a prominent Nigerian politician who disrupted Airport operation on the morning of Wednesday June 11, 2025.
“The prominent individual in question arrived at the Muritala Mohammed Airport terminal 1 (Zulu Hall) at approximately 06.10 am for a flight P47120 scheduled to depart Lagos for Abuja at 06.30am. In line with our standard on-time departure policy, the boarding process had closed, and the flight departed as scheduled.
“Upon being informed of the missed flight, the politician resorted to violence, physically assaulting our staff and forcefully barricading the terminal’s entrance.”
As of press time, no word had come from the senator yet.
