Legal Firestorm as A.U. Mustapha SAN Drags Overland Airways to FCCPC Over ‘Exploitative’ Ilorin Route Fares
Prominent legal practitioner, A.U. Mustapha, SAN, has filed a formal petition against Overland Airways, accusing the airline of exploitative and discriminatory airfare practices on the Lagos–Ilorin–Abuja route.
The petition, dated August 4, 2025, and submitted to the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), alleges that Overland Airways is abusing its monopoly as the only commercial airline operating at the General Tunde Idiagbon International Airport in Ilorin.
According to A.U. Mustapha SAN, the airline’s dominant market position has enabled it to impose exorbitant ticket prices, disproportionately affecting travellers to and from Ilorin. The petition draws attention to glaring fare inconsistencies on the same flight route, particularly where Ilorin serves merely as a stopover.
For example, the Senior Advocate outlined the following fare discrepancies:
Lagos to Abuja (2 hrs 15 mins) – ₦160,000
Lagos to Ilorin (50 mins) – ₦260,000
Ilorin to Abuja (55 mins) – ₦300,000
“The disparities in ticket pricing for the same flight, which merely uses Ilorin as a stopover, have become a source of concern for passengers who ply that flight route,” the petition reads.
Citing several sections of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act, 2018 (Cap C25 LFN 2004), including Sections 70(1), 72(2)(a), 124, and 127, A.U. Mustapha SAN argued that the airline’s conduct constitutes an abuse of market dominance.
He is calling on the FCCPC to:
1. Launch an investigation into Overland Airways’ pricing structure for the Lagos–Ilorin–Abuja route;
2. Declare the current fare model as discriminatory and in violation of consumer protection laws;
3. Order Overland Airways to halt its exploitative pricing;
4. Sanction the airline accordingly for breaching statutory consumer rights.
The petition has stirred significant conversation on social media, with many passengers echoing Mustapha’s concerns and sharing their frustrations about Overland’s high fares and lack of alternatives.