Air Peace has stated that reports claiming one of its aircraft crashed in the Western Sahara region, resulting in fatalities, are false.
The airline released this information in a statement on Thursday, signed by Ejike Ndiulo, its head of corporate communications.
“We categorically state that this information is false and malicious. This is a deliberate attempt to spread misinformation and tarnish the impeccable safety record of Air Peace,” the statement reads.
“It is important to note that the author of this post has a history of disseminating false and alarming information about non-existent tragic incidents.”
According to Ndiulo, the images circulating alongside the false reports are artificially generated and do not depict any real event.
The aviation firm urged the public to disregard the malicious claims and rely on official channels for accurate updates about its operations.
“Air Peace remains committed to the highest safety standards and the well-being of our passengers and crew. Safety is not just a priority but a fundamental precondition for all our activities,” the statement added.
In his reaction, Tunde Moshood, spokesperson for Festus Keyamo, minister of aviation and aerospace development, called out the media outlet responsible for circulating the story.
He said there is “a faceless media outlet” circulating a “false and baselessly malicious story of an Air Peace Crash in Western Sahara, purportedly resulting in the tragic loss of a cousin of the Hon. Minister of the FCT, Chief Nyesom Wike”.
Moshood highlighted an additional claim in the report, alleging that an Air Peace flight travelling from Ghana to Saudi Arabia landed with 50 passengers missing.
The spokesperson described the claim as completely false, misleading, and a “figment of the imagination of the internet jobber and unprofessional journalist behind the fake news”.