Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) A.U. Mustapha has filed a formal complaint with the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), accusing Overland Airways of exploitative and discriminatory air fares on the Lagos_Ilorin_Abuja route.

The petition, dated 4 August 2025 and obtained by Just Event Online TV, alleges that Overland Airways is leveraging its position as the sole commercial airline operating from General Tunde Idiagbon International Airport, Ilorin, to impose unjustified fare disparities.

SAN Mustapha condemned the practice as "barefaced exploitation," noting that passengers travelling to and from Ilorin face significantly higher costs compared to other routes served by the airline.

The legal icon urged the FCCPC to investigate the pricing model, arguing it violates Nigeria's competition laws and disproportionately burdens residents of Kwara State. The petition highlights longstanding grievances over Ilorin's air connectivity challenges, with residents previously calling for government intervention to curb exorbitant fares.

According to the petition, passengers flying shorter distances that involve Ilorin as a stopover are being charged significantly more than those covering longer legs of the same route. Mustapha highlighted shocking price discrepancies, including:

Lagos to Abuja (2 hours 15 minutes) _ N160,000

Lagos to Ilorin (50 minutes) _ N260,000

Ilorin to Abuja (55 minutes) _ N300,000

"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 stated.

Mustapha, referencing the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act, 2018 (Cap C25 LFN 2004), argued that the pricing practice violates Sections 70(1), 72(2)(a), 124, and 127 of the Act, which prohibit abuse of a dominant market position and exploitation of consumers.

He called on the FCCPC to take immediate action by:

Launching an investigation into Overland Airways' pricing practices;

Declaring the current fare regime discriminatory and excessive;

Ordering the airline to cease such practices in line with consumer protection laws;

Imposing appropriate sanctions on the airline for continuous abuse.

The petition has since sparked widespread debate on social media, with many frequent flyers on the route backing the call for regulatory intervention. Passengers have long complained about high fares and lack of competition on the Ilorin route, which they say has allowed Overland Airways to operate unchecked.

As of press time, Overland Airways has not issued any official response to the petition.