Air Peace has refuted allegations made by Senator Adams Oshiomhole, representing Edo North, that he was extorted and unfairly denied boarding.

The airline stated that the former Edo State governor failed to check in online and arrived late for his scheduled 6:30 am flight.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, Air Peace’s Operations Manager, Ayodeji Adeyemi, dismissed the claims as “false allegations”.

“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.

Addressing Oshiomhole’s claim of checking in online, Adeyemi stated the airline’s backend systems showed no such record.

“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,” he said.

“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,” he added.

Adeyemi further clarified the timeline of events, stating that Oshiomhole arrived after 6:00 am, well past the check-in cutoff time.

“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,” he said.

Addressing a viral video showing an Air Peace staff speaking to the senator in a secluded section of the terminal, Adeyemi said: “Nobody cornered him. 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.”

On the issue of alleged extortion, Adeyemi insisted that what Oshiomhole described was standard airline policy.

“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 said.