In an arrogant display of political privilege and disregard for public inconvenience, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, the former Edo State governor and current senator for Edo North, on Wednesday forced the closure of the Zulu Terminal at the General Aviation Terminal (GAT) of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos and physically assaulted airport personnel after arriving late for his flight to Abuja.
According to reports from credible sources at the airport, Oshiomhole aggressively blocked the entrance to the Zulu Terminal of the General Aviation Terminal (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 former National Chairman of the APC 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.”
