Air Peace has removed a passenger from one of its aircraft after he allegedly threatened to burn the plane, prompting the captain to return it to the airport ramp before take-off.
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority disclosed this in an incident report shared on X on Monday, November 9, 2026, by its Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu.
The incident occurred aboard Air Peace flight P47866, which was scheduled to depart for Asaba, Delta State.
The aircraft was returned to the airport ramp following a confrontation between the passenger and cabin crew over the use of a mobile device.
According to the NCAA report, the passenger, identified as Celestine Ezeudu, ignored instructions from cabin crew members to stop taking pictures and put away his mobile device as the aircraft prepared for take-off.
The situation escalated when another crew member intervened, resulting in an altercation during which Ezeudu allegedly threatened to burn the aircraft.
“The passenger ignored the instructions and when a second member of the crew approached, an altercation broke out, and the passenger made a statement: ‘The anger I am feeling can burn down this plane,’” Achimugu stated in the report.
Following the threat, the cabin crew alerted the captain, who ordered the aircraft to return to the airport ramp at 15:57 hours.
“The crew immediately alerted the captain, who then initiated a ramp return at 1557HRS. The passenger complied with instructions to be removed from the aircraft without further struggle,” the report added.
Ezeudu subsequently disembarked, while his friend and co-traveller also voluntarily left the flight in solidarity with him.
The latest incident comes amid other cases of unruly passenger behaviour in Nigeria, including confrontations between travellers, airline crew members and airport personnel.
