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Air Peace has lamented the attacks on its staff and the crippling of its operations by stranded passengers in Abuja, Lagos, Calabar and other parts of the country.

In a statement issued on Friday by Chris Iwarah, its corporate communications manager, the airline warned that it would no longer condone members of the public endangering the lives of its workers.

The airline also said that security agents failed to halt the trend of members of the public invading airport facilities to attack airline workers.

“On Thursday, the winglet of one of our aircraft, which was being towed within the very limited space at the ramp of the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos to position for departure, had a partial contact with the stabiliser of another of our aircraft,” it said.

“We subsequently declared the two aircraft unserviceable in line with our high safety standards.

“We were, therefore, compelled to adjust our schedules to close the gaps created by the two aircraft, which were scheduled to do 14 sectors.

“While we were trying to salvage the situation, some unruly passengers took the law into their own hands, preventing passengers from boarding and making it impossible for our aircraft to fly.”

According to the statement, in Abuja, a former top government official, whose flight returned to Abuja when it could not land in Enugu due to the closure of the airport at 7pm, refused to disembark and incited others to join him in doing so.

The airline said the aircraft was eventually detained overnight in Abuja.

“The action of the former federal lawmaker and other unruly passengers in our different stations worsened the already difficult schedule we were making effort to save,” it said.

“Some flights we were prepared to operate despite the challenge we were facing, were eventually cancelled.

“While we were making effort to resolve the challenge with the decision to commence our operations very early on Friday, a truck operated by Skyway Aviation Handling Company rammed into another of our aircraft at the Benin Airport and the aircraft was again declared unserviceable.”

The airline said that the aircraft involved in the Benin incident was scheduled to do seven sectors, including the Abuja-Benin service.

It said: “Given the development, we had no choice than to cancel our Abuja-Benin service and asked those who were willing to reschedule for Saturday to do so, while others should be immediately refunded.”

“Some passengers, who were to fly with us from Abuja to Benin, however, went violent. They attacked our staff in Abuja and almost killed our duty manager.

“It took the intervention of Air Force personnel, who were reportedly called in by the airport authorities, to rescue our duty manager from the mob.

“But that did not prevent the passengers from destroying our facilities. The menacing passengers also prevented others from boarding their own flights, thereby complicating the situation.

“In Lagos, some other passengers attacked and almost killed our station manager. Also in Calabar, unruly passengers had an unchallenged day, preventing our aircraft from flying.”

The airline said it was surprising all the attacks could take place at the nation’s airports, a high-security environment, without any challenge from security agents.

“The situation has, therefore, left us with no choice than to resort to our right of self-defence to prevent our staff from being killed.

“We can no longer tolerate unruly passengers maiming our staff simply because we have chosen to provide service in a very challenging environment.

“Security agencies must, therefore, rise to the occasion before our staff, who are also people’s children and parents, are killed.

“This is the least the government can do to prevent unpatriotic citizens from bringing the few surviving airlines in the country down,” Air Peace said.

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JUST IN: Prison Officers Involved In Bobrisky Bribery Allegations Will Face Prosecution — Interior Minister Tunji-Ojo

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The Federal Government on Friday assured that all individuals implicated in the alleged bribery case involving crossdresser “Idris Okuneye, also known as Bobrisky,” will be prosecuted.

This announcement was made by the Minister of Interior, “Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo,” during a press conference in Abuja on Friday, commemorating his first year in office.

Earlier, the minister had launched a comprehensive investigation into accusations of bribery and corruption within the “Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS).”

This came after reports emerged that “Bobrisky,” who had been sentenced to prison earlier in the year, had not served his sentence within the correctional facility.

As the investigation progressed, the Nigerian Government, through the “Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board,” suspended several senior prison service officers on Thursday, “September 26, 2024.”

The officers suspended include “Michael Anugwa,” Deputy Controller of Corrections (DCC) responsible for the Medium Security Custodial Centre (MSCC) in Kiri-kiri, Lagos State; “Sikiru Adekunle,” Deputy Controller of Corrections (DCC) overseeing the Maximum-Security Custodial Centre (MSCC) in Kiri-kiri, Lagos State; and “ASC II Ogbule Samuel Obinna,” stationed at the MSCC in Afikpo, Ebonyi State, who was accused of escorting a convicted inmate outside the facility.

Another officer, “Iloafonsi Kevin Ikechukwu,” Deputy Controller of Corrections (DCC) managing the MSCC in Kuje, Abuja, was suspended for allegedly accepting payments on behalf of an inmate.

In addressing the unfolding bribery and corruption scandal, “Dr. Tunji-Ojo” called on Nigerians to remain patient during the investigation, assuring the public that all involved would be held accountable.

“We will not spare anyone, regardless of their status. The investigation is ongoing, but rest assured that no one will be shielded or protected,” the minister asserted.

He further clarified that the investigation went beyond the allegations linked to “Bobrisky,” noting that of the four suspended officers, only two were connected to the “Bobrisky” case. “This process will continue; it doesn’t end here,” he added.

“Dr. Tunji-Ojo” expressed his trust in the integrity of the committee members leading the investigation, encouraging the public to have confidence in their work.

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UPDATE: US Company Costco Denies Selling Baby Oil To Diddy

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American wholesale corporation, Costco, has denied selling “baby oil” to disgraced rapper and music executive, Sean Combs, aka Diddy.

The federal officers seized supplies that they say were intended for use in orgies known as “freak offs,” including drugs and more than 1,000 bottles of “baby oil” during the raiding of Diddy’s Beverly Hills mansion in March.

In a new TMZ Studios documentary, ‘The Downfall of Diddy: The Indictment’, the rapper’s lawyer, Marc Agnifilo suggested he had 1,000 bottles of “baby oil” because he buys them in bulk from Costco.

Reacting to Diddy’s lawyer’s claim, Costco said they don’t sell “baby oil.”

“None of the company’s US locations carry ‘baby oil,'” Costco told TMZ.

Diddy was recently arrested by Homeland Security on suspicion of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and interstate transportation for prostitution.

Diddy has denied all the charges, entering a not-guilty plea on Tuesday, 17 September.

However, the Bad Boy Records’ boss’ bail request was rejected twice.

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Naomi Campbell Gets 5-Yr Ban From Being Charity Trustee In UK For “Using Funds On Spa Treatment”

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Naomi Campbell, the British supermodel, has been banned from serving as a charity trustee in England and Wales for five years.

The UK Charity Commission found that her charity, Fashion for Relief, was “poorly governed and managed financially” by its trustees.

The investigation, conducted from April 2016 to July 2022, revealed that only 8.5% of the funds raised were spent on charitable grants.

Additionally, charity funds were reportedly used for Campbell’s stays in luxurious hotels, spa treatments, and cigarettes.

Campbell responded to the findings in an interview, expressing her concern and claiming she was not aware of these expenses, as she had entrusted the charity’s management to a legal employer. She said, “I was not in control of my charity.”

Veronica Chou and Bianca Hellmich, other trustees, were also sanctioned.

Hellmich was banned for nine years for receiving unauthorized funds, while Chou was banned for four years.

Tim Hopkins, part of the investigation team, stated that Campbell and the other trustees had failed in their legal duties.

Approximately £344,000 has been recovered, and an additional £98,000 of charitable funds has been protected.

The recovered funds were used to make donations to other charities and settle liabilities.

Campbell founded Fashion for Relief in 2005 with the aim of relieving poverty.

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