Air Peace crew threatens legal action over NSIB drug-use claims

The Air Peace cabin crew member has issued a 72-hour ultimatum to the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), demanding it retract allegations of drug use or face immediate legal action.

The controversy stems from an NSIB preliminary report on a July 13 runway excursion at Port Harcourt International Airport, which alleged that some Air Peace crew members had tested positive for banned substances.

Victory Maduneme, a cabin crew member, rejected the claims as “baseless and defamatory,” insisting her blood and urine samples were clean.

She said she underwent tests at Kupa Aerospace Clinic but was shocked when investigators released results only 10 days later and, months afterward, publicly alleged she had tested positive for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive component of cannabis.

“They sent me to a licensed doctor who even advised me to come back later, but I refused and insisted on being tested immediately. The results came out negative, and I submitted a copy to them,” Maduneme said.

“If marijuana was actually in my system, NSIB would have grounded me immediately and informed the airline. Instead, they kept quiet for two months and are now tarnishing my image and that of Air Peace.”

Maduneme said the allegations nearly cost her career, adding: “If not for the kindness of my chairman, I would have been sacked and blacklisted. Once that happens, no airline in the world will work with me.” She warned that unless the NSIB retracts its statement within 72 hours, legal action will follow, describing the allegations as “pure defamation of character.”

The flight’s co-pilot, David Bernard, also pushed back, questioning NSIB’s testing methods. “I don’t take alcohol or drugs. Normally, a breathalyser should be used to check alcohol levels, but instead they took our blood and urine samples. They collected them on July 13 and only returned results on July 23. In this age, how long does a blood test really take?” he asked.