Air Peace crew members have rejected a safety bureau report alleging they tested positive for alcohol and cannabis after a July runway incident, calling it defamatory and flawed.
Two Air Peace crew members have denied testing positive for alcohol and drugs following a runway incident at Port Harcourt International Airport in July, dismissing the findings of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB).
The NSIB had reported that toxicology tests indicated co-pilot David Bernard consumed alcohol, while cabin crew member Maduneme Victory tested positive for cannabis after their aircraft veered off the runway on July 13. But both staff accused the agency of releasing “false and damaging” results.
“I don’t drink or smoke,” Bernard told Arise Television, questioning why their samples were tested at what he described as an “unrecognised hospital” days after collection. Victory also claimed a follow-up test at an aviation-approved clinic cleared her, calling the NSIB’s report “pure defamation of character.”
NSIB Director-General Captain Alex Badeh rejected their claims, saying the results came from Rivers State Hospital Management and were officially certified.
Air Peace confirmed the co-pilot had since been cleared by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and resumed flying, insisting its internal testing policies remain strict.
The dispute has raised wider concerns about coordination between NSIB and NCAA, with industry experts and passengers urging stronger safety oversight in Nigeria’s aviation sector.