How Senator Oshiomhole Allegedly Shut Down Lagos Airport Terminal After Missing Flight to Abuja

Senator Adams Oshiomhole, representing Edo North and former governor of Edo State, allegedly caused significant disruption at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos on Wednesday morning after missing his scheduled flight to Abuja. The incident occurred at the Zulu Terminal of the General Aviation Terminal (GAT), where Oshiomhole arrived well after the 6:30 am departure time of an Air Peace flight he was booked on.

According to multiple eyewitnesses and airport staff, the senator reacted angrily to missing the flight and proceeded to block the entrance to the terminal. Despite repeated pleas from the terminal manager and staff, he refused to step aside, resulting in the temporary shutdown of operations and leaving numerous passengers stranded.

Sources at the scene described the senator’s actions as disruptive and dismissive of airport protocol. “He missed the flight. That’s the simple truth,” one source said. “He wanted the airline to delay the flight for him, but Air Peace refused.” The airline maintained its stance on punctuality and did not accommodate Oshiomhole’s request.

As the disruption escalated, a regional manager was called in to mediate the situation. A management meeting was hastily convened in an attempt to de-escalate tensions and restore normal operations. Witnesses described the atmosphere as chaotic, with airport and airline staff visibly frustrated by the standoff.

The Zulu Terminal, a key domestic wing of the MMIA handling flights to several major Nigerian cities, was affected for the duration of the incident. This terminal, which underwent a N2.2 billion expansion in 2023 to boost its capacity, is a crucial hub for domestic travel in the country.

Efforts to reach representatives of Air Peace and airport authorities for comment were unsuccessful. Ijeoma Blessing Nwosu-Igbo, General Manager of Public Affairs at the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), stated she was unaware of the incident and clarified that MM2, a separate privately operated terminal, falls outside her purview.

As of the time of reporting, no official statement has been issued by Senator Oshiomhole regarding the in UKcident.