The National Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has maintained that its report on the recent Air Peace incident at Port Harcourt International Airport is accurate, stating clearly that the captain and first officer tested positive for ethyl, a substance linked to alcohol consumption.
The Director-General of NSIB, Alex Badeh Jr., made this known during an interview on Arise Television on Friday, as he addressed growing criticism and controversy surrounding the bureau’s preliminary safety report.
Badeh clarified that the bureau did not accuse the pilots or crew of causing the incident, but simply reported what toxicology tests revealed.
“Nobody said the crew caused the crash,” he said. “The report stated that the captain and first officer tested positive for ethyl, which is a byproduct of alcohol. The cabin crew also tested positive for THC, which comes from cannabis.”
He stressed that these findings were based on standard toxicology tests carried out after aviation incidents, and are not meant to assign blame or guilt.
Responding to allegations that the bureau may be attempting to tarnish the image of Air Peace or its personnel, Badeh said such claims are unfair and baseless.
“This is not the first preliminary report we’ve released,” he said. “It’s also not the first toxicology test we’ve done on crew members in Nigeria.”
He pointed out that the NSIB has been operating since 2006, and has investigated numerous air incidents and accidents, with all findings released to the public without bias.
“Suddenly, because this report contains uncomfortable truths, people are claiming sabotage,” he added. “We need to start being honest and fair with ourselves.”
Badeh also noted that if the incident had resulted in fatalities, the tone of the public conversation would have been very different.
“If this accident had resulted in deaths, we would be having a completely different discussion right now,” he said.
He repeated that the purpose of NSIB investigations is not to blame anyone, but to understand what went wrong and improve safety in the aviation sector.
The Air Peace aircraft in question had a runway incident at Port Harcourt International Airport in July 2025. Although no lives were lost, the landing raised concerns among aviation experts and passengers.
The NSIB launched an investigation and, in its preliminary report, included the toxicology results of the flight crew, which has now become the subject of public debate.
While Air Peace and some staff members have disputed the findings, claiming they are being unfairly targeted, the NSIB insists its procedures were standard and scientifically verified.
The full final report on the incident is still pending, and may include additional findings and safety recommendations for both the airline and the aviation industry.
As of the time of this report, Air Peace has not issued an official response to NSIB’s latest remarks.
