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Air Peace crew tested positive for alcohol, drug — NSIB report

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The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau has indicted an Air Peace pilot and a Co-pilot for taking hard drugs and alcohol.

The accident investigators tested the crew positive for the substances after the aircraft they flew was involved in a runway excursion at the Port Harcourt International Airport on July 13, 2025.

This was contained in a preliminary report signed by the Director of Public Affairs and Family Assistance at Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau, Mrs Bimbo Olawumi Oladeji, made available to The PUNCH on Friday.

It will be recalled that an Air Peace aircraft, on a Sunday morning of 13th July, had a runway excursion after landing at the Port Harcourt International Airport.

The aircraft veered off the runway without any damage.

A runway excursion is when an aircraft veers off the side of or overruns the end of the runway during takeoff or landing.

Excursions are most often caused by miscommunication, mistakes, faulty gear, and potholes on runways, among others. But with the discovery, pilots’ intoxication has been added to the list of causes.

According to the NSIB report, the pilots who were flying an Air Peace Boeing 737 aircraft were involved in a serious incident while carrying 103 passengers.

The NSIB said, “The aircraft, operating as a scheduled domestic flight from Lagos to Port Harcourt with 103 persons on board, landed long on Runway 21 after an unstabilised final approach. The aircraft touched down 2,264 metres from the runway threshold and came to a final stop 209 metres into the clearway.

“All passengers and crew disembarked safely, and no injuries were reported.”

According to the report, the domestic flight, which took off from Lagos, experienced an unstabilised final approach before landing long on Runway 21.

The NSIB revealed that the aircraft touched down 2,264 metres from the runway threshold, well beyond the recommended touchdown zone, and eventually came to a stop at 209 metres into the clearway.

While all on board disembarked safely, the incident raised immediate safety concerns.

The preliminary reports say toxicological test results conducted on the flight crew turned out positive. The Tests indicated the presence of alcohol in the system of the crew, while another crew member also tested positive for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active compound found in cannabis, colloquially referred to as “India hemp.”

The bureau noted that these toxicology results are being assessed within the scope of human performance and safety management, both critical factors in aviation incident investigations.

Following the development, the NSIB said it had issued immediate safety recommendations to the airline.

The statement further reads, “Initial toxicological tests conducted on the flight crew revealed positive results for certain substances, including indicators of alcohol consumption. A cabin crew member also tested positive for THC, the psychoactive component in cannabis. These results are being reviewed under the human performance and safety management components of the investigation.

“The NSIB has issued immediate safety recommendations for Air Peace Limited to strengthen crew resource management training, particularly in handling unstabilised approaches and go-around decisions, and to reinforce internal procedures for crew fitness-for-duty monitoring before flight dispatch.

“Toxicological test was conducted on the flight crew at Rivers state hospital management, department of medical laboratory, Port Harcourt, on 13th July 2025, and they tested positive for some substances. Toxicological screening conducted post-incident revealed that Captain and first officer tested positive for Ethyl Glucuronide, indicating recent alcohol consumption.”

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Crime

Police detain officer for firing at moving car in Delta

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A police officer who was filmed shooting at the tyre of a moving vehicle in front of Toscana Hotel along Okpanam Road, Asaba, Delta State, has been identified and detained by the authorities.

The incident, which occurred on Tuesday night, sparked outrage after the video surfaced on social media. The video showed the officer firing towards the car as it attempted to drive off.

The act has been widely condemned as reckless and a violation of the rules of engagement on firearm usage in public spaces.

Reacting to the incident in a post on X on Wednesday, the Police Public Relations Officer for the Delta State Command, SP Bright Edafe, described the officer’s conduct as “embarrassing, shameful, careless, unprofessional, and unjustified.”

Edafe wrote, “In all honesty, this is embarrassing, shameful, careless, so unprofessional and not justified at all. The Policeman has been identified, detained and will appear before the CP today.”

No casualty was reported as of the time of filing this report.

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Crime

Hit-and-run driver kills Lagos director days before retirement

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A director with the Lagos State Government, Serifat Talabi, died four days before her retirement from civil service and at her 60th birthday party.

That the woman was knocked down by a hit-and-run driver on Saturday.

Our correspondent gathered that the incident happened when Talabi was crossing the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway near the Redemption Camp in Ogun State.

A source in the state civil service, who pleaded anonymity because he was not authorised, told our correspondent on Tuesday that Talabi was the Director of Procurement at the Lagos State Resident Registration Agency.

“She was knocked down by a hit-and-run driver while trying to cross the expressway around the Redemption Camp. Efforts were made to take her to the hospital, where she was confirmed dead,” the source disclosed.

Another source in the agency disclosed that Talabi was supposed to retire on Monday, October 13, but the retirement event was postponed to Wednesday, October 22, to allow the agency’s General Manager to attend.

The source added that she had printed a card inviting her co-workers, relatives, and friends to the event, which also marked her birthday.

“She was supposed to retire on October 13, but because the General Manager was not around, she then shifted the date to October 22 so he could attend. Invitations had already been printed and sent to colleagues, friends, and family before the unfortunate incident.”

An invitation card sighted by PUNCH Metro indicated that the event was billed to hold at the NERDC Conference Centre, NERDC Road, Ikeja, adjacent to the Fela Shrine.

Meanwhile, The Eagle Online reports that Talabi’s burial arrangements have been announced by her family.

According to information gleaned from a WhatsApp group by the news platform, the wake will be held on October 23, 2025, with the burial service scheduled for October 24, 2025.

Both events will take place at 10, Ore-Ofe Street, Ara Hall Bus Stop, Ibafo, Ogun State.

The spokesperson for LASSRA, Basirat Lawal, did not respond to calls made to her telephone line on Tuesday. A text message sent to her had yet to be replied to as of the time this report was filed.

Similar efforts to reach the Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, Omolola Odutola, were futile as she did not pick up calls made to her telephone line. She had yet to reply to a text message sent to her as of the time of filing this report.

Talabi’s death adds to the growing list of pedestrians killed by hit-and-run drivers along the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway and other major highways linking Lagos and Ogun states.

PUNCH Metro reported in August that a motorcyclist and his passenger lost their lives along the Ago-Iwoye/Ilisan Expressway in the Ijebu area of Ogun State after a truck rammed into their motorcycle from behind and fled the scene.

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Crime

PHOTOS: Nigerian mom arrested for murd£r after 9-year-old daughter d!es in hot car in US

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A Nigerian mother has been charged with murd£r after her 9-year-old daughter d!ed in a hot car in Texas, US.

Gbemisola Akayinode, 36, was arrested on Friday for the murd£r of 9-year-old Oluwasikemi Akayinode after the girl’s de@th was ruled a homicide as a result of hyperthermia (heat stroke), according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.

Oluwasikemi died on July 1 after she was left in a car for over eight hours on a 99-degree day while her mother went to work at a manufacturing plant in Galena Park near Houston, according to court documents.

When Gbemisola Akayinode parked at work at about 5:45 a.m., she said she left her daughter with food, a rechargeable fan, ice cubes and water, and lowered the car’s back windows down halfway, court documents said. She gave her daughter melatonin and saw her start to fall asleep in the back seat, according to court documents.Nigerian fashion brands

Gbemisola Akayinode said she didn’t check on Oluwasikemi until her shift ended at 1:53 p.m., documents said. When Gbemisola Akayinode reached the car, she said her daughter was unresponsive and blue, and she screamed for help.

Gbemisola Akayinode said she had taken Oluwasikemi to work with her several times previously, including the day before, court documents said. She said she brought her daughter with her because she didn’t have money for day care until her next paycheck, but investigators determined the foreman at her job was paying for day care for her, court documents said.

Officials said in July that they were waiting for the 9-year-old’s autopsy results before deciding if any charges would be filed.

Gbemisola Akayinode is due in court next week.

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