An Air Peace aircraft inbound to Lagos from Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja was halted due to suspected technical faults.
The incident, which occurred in the early hours of Thursday, caused panic among passengers, many of whom took to social media to express their fears.
Prominent human rights lawyer Inihebe Effiong, who posted on his X handle, stated that the flight, scheduled for 6:30 am, was “forcefully” stopped during taxiing.
His post read, “While taxiing on the runway and just before takeoff, our Air Peace flight from Abuja to Lagos, scheduled for 6:30 AM today, was stopped forcefully, resulting in panic and screams from some passengers.”
Effiong added that the captain of the aircraft attributed the incident to a bird strike, bringing into question the recent claims by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria regarding the procurement of multimillion-naira bird strike equipment.
The lawyer said, “The captain attributed the incident to a bird strike. We have been deboarded to await either a replacement or repair of the aircraft.
“Thankfully, whatever happened did not occur after takeoff. It would have been scarier. I am wondering whether there is bird detection radar technology at the domestic wing of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.”
He added that another aircraft had been deployed to evacuate the waiting passengers.
Another passenger, who requested anonymity, confirmed the incident and appealed to the airline to pay more attention to its aircraft, stating, “I am not sure what happened was due to a bird strike.”
Meanwhile, a statement signed by the company’s Head of Corporate Communications, Ejike Ndiulo, confirmed that the aircraft had been stopped before takeoff due to a bird strike.
Ejike, however, appealed for “the understanding of the passengers impacted by this development, as well as those on other flights that may experience delays.”
“We have deployed a replacement aircraft for the affected flight to minimise disruption and ensure that passengers can continue their journeys promptly,” the statement concluded.