Festus Keyamo, minister of aviation and aerospace development, on Friday ordered aviation agencies to probe the ugly incident involving Air Peace and Adams Oshiomhole, senator representing Edo North, leading to the disruption of operations.
While the airline accused Oshiomhole of disrupting its operations after missing a scheduled flight, the former Governor of Edo State, countered by saying he was only protesting his right against the corrupt practices the staff were engaged in.
In separate videos on social media, Oshiohmole was seen engaging in hot exchange of words with an official of the airline in front of the gate at the Zulu Hall, located at the Murtala Muhammed Airport terminal 1, and was overheard complaining of attempts to scam passengers.
But in response to the claims, including that the staff had asked passengers who had checked-in online to pay extra money before boarding, Air Peace, described the allegation as “deliberate falsehood,” adding that no passenger was asked to pay money after the closure of check-in.
In a post on X on Friday, Keyamo instructed the agencies to gather all relevant evidence and report back to his office, adding that he had been in direct contact with both parties since the day of the event, to urge them to refrain from further public exchanges.
His words: “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.
“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 conducts in similar situations.”
The minister also urged the aviation agencies to avoid rushing to conclusions, noting the importance of adhering to the long-standing legal principle of listening to all parties before reaching a judgement.
Follow us on all social media platforms @dailyquery for news and analyses around the globe.
