Public policy expert Joe Abah has recounted his experience aboard a domestic flight from Abuja to Lagos, alleging operational lapses, including a luggage mix-up and the combination of two flights....
By Boluwatife Kehinde-Idowu
Public policy expert Joe Abah has recounted his experience aboard a domestic flight from Abuja to Lagos, alleging operational lapses, including a luggage mix-up and the combination of two flights.
In a post shared on X on Friday, October 23, 2026, Abah said he decided to try the airline after people recommended it to him as a reliable option.
According to him, passengers scheduled to travel on the 4 pm flight were asked to board shortly after the scheduled time, but the aircraft could not accommodate everyone.
“We all got to the foot of the aircraft and the plane couldn’t take everyone. It turns out they had combined two flights. Some people were told at the foot of the plane that they couldn’t go on the flight,” he wrote.
Abah also alleged that passengers’ hand luggage was collected at the aircraft stairs because the cabin compartments were full, adding that they were not given luggage tags despite his request.
He said he was initially confused when an airline staff member told him there was “free seating after Row 8”, despite his business-class booking for seat 5A.
“I asked, ‘What do you mean? I am in Business Class, seat 5A.’ They found me a seat at 2A,” he said.
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Abah further recounted that passengers were informed they would travel to Lagos through Iperu, Ogun State. Upon arrival in Iperu, passengers travelling to Lagos were asked to remain on board, while some passengers reportedly disembarked because they were heading to the Ijebu and Ikenne areas.
He said the stop raised questions in his mind about the integrity of the passenger manifest.
The public policy expert said he subsequently noticed his distinctive aluminium hand luggage being taken towards the terminal and had to call the attention of those handling the bags.
“I had a window seat and just happened to see my hand luggage being taken to the terminal. Because it is an all-Aluminum case, it is rather distinctive and easily distinguishable. I had to shout,” he wrote.
He said the bags were eventually returned, after which passengers were asked to disembark and identify their luggage before boarding the aircraft again.
According to Abah, the airline apologised for the delay, citing “operational reasons”, but some passengers expressed anger over the experience.
He quoted one passenger as shouting, “Operational reasons kee you there!”, while others at the back of the aircraft reportedly shouted “fraud”, “scam” and “deceit”.
Abah said the flight eventually landed in Lagos at 7:07 pm, about three hours after boarding.
“Somehow, I am not even in the mood to make wahala today. I just want to get to my hotel and have a cold beer,” he added.
The account also drew reactions from social media users, with some comparing the experience to public transport.
@chukwuemeka Ifeanyi wrote, “sounds like ‘danfo’ in the air.”
Responding to the comparison, @DrJoeAbbah said, “I have to confess that my mind went to Molue.”
Another user, @TheGodFather JP, recounted his experience flying with another airline, saying, “We boarded from Lagos normally, and after they announced boarding completion at around 2 pm, I was happy because I had a meeting in Lagos for 3. I never knew I was deceiving myself. I was wondering why the ground crew were still milling around; I had a window seat. Then the announcement came on after a while that they will be adding more passengers going to Jos. Our flight was strictly Lagos to Abuja, by the way. Then the ordeal started. Those ones came in noisily and were busy fighting the people already seated for their seats. We had to tell them to get off and speak to the air hostess.
“That took us another 50-odd minutes. The seats weren’t enough, so they relocated the rest to the business class. It was a hot mess yesterday. Eventually we departed around 3pm. As usual, they gave their standard stupid apologies and made me get to my meeting very late. Nigerian airlines are very irresponsible, and sadly they won’t change because it seems nobody is interested in making them.”