Nigeria: Nigerian Airline Removes Passenger After Threat to 'Burn Down' Aircraft

What the report says

Nigerian carrier Air Peace removed a passenger from one of its aircraft after he allegedly threatened to “burn down” the plane during a pre-takeoff dispute with cabin crew, according to Premium Times, distributed by AllAfrica. The incident involved Air Peace flight P47866, which was scheduled to travel to Asaba in Delta State. The passenger was identified as Celestine Ezeudu.

The report says the confrontation began when crew members repeatedly asked him to stop taking pictures and put away his device. The disagreement escalated after another crew member intervened, and the pilot was alerted. Michael Achimugu, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority’s director of public affairs and consumer protection, described the episode in a post on X and said the captain ordered the aircraft back to the ramp at 15:57 so the passenger could be removed.

According to the account shared by the NCAA official, Mr. Ezeudu complied with instructions to leave the plane, and his travel companion also disembarked voluntarily. He later said his anger came from missing an earlier flight, though the report says he did not expect the dispute to lead to a ramp return.

The article places the case in the context of recent disputes between passengers and airline staff in Nigeria, where aviation regulators have repeatedly warned that refusing crew instructions, disrupting operations or threatening safety can lead to sanctions, flight delays or police action.