…Stakeholders laud FG’s action
By Chinelo Obogo and Caryn Oseghale
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has disclosed its decision to blacklist popular Nigerian musician, King Wasiu Ayinde Marshal (Kwam 1), from flying for six months over his alleged unruly behaviour.
Speaking on Thursday on the sidelines of the 29th annual conference of the League of Airport and Aviation Correspondents (LAAC) in Lagos, NCAA’s Director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, said everybody who needs to be sanctioned will be punished. He said the NCAA is writing the Attorney General of the Federation and the Inspector General of Police to take up a court case against the passenger in this case.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), on Wednesday, addressed the incident that occurred on Tuesday, 5th August 2025, at the domestic terminal of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, involving Nigerian musician, Kwam 1 and a pilot of ValueJet Airlines.
The Authority said preliminary investigations confirmed that Kwam 1 was scheduled to board the morning flight to Lagos operated by ValueJet Airlines (Flight VK 201), and that during boarding, he attempted to carry an unidentified liquid substance on board despite repeated warnings from Aviation Security (AVSEC) personnel and the Flight Captain.
FAAN said: “In accordance with international aviation security standards, specifically, Nigeria’s National Civil Aviation Security Programme (NCASP) and ICAO Annex 17, liquids exceeding 100ml are not permitted through security screening unless medically necessary and properly declared. The passenger was informed of this regulation but reportedly declined to comply.
“As boarding continued, an airline security officer asked the passenger to step aside for further clarification. The passenger allegedly refused and spilled the contents of the flask on the officer, which turned out to be alcohol. The Flight Captain intervened but faced similar resistance. After confirming that boarding was complete, she instructed the closure of the aircraft door. At this juncture, the passenger moved to the front of the aircraft and refused to leave the area despite repeated requests. He was ultimately escorted away by the AVSEC crime unit for further investigation, after which he was released.”
Reacting to the incident on Thursday, the NCAA said the Director General, Captain Chris Nadomo, has spoken with the relevant directors and came to the conclusion that immediate action must be taken.
“The pilots have also been suspended pending the outcome of investigations. What I must assure the general public is that everybody involved in this will be brought to book. As we speak, the passenger is going to be blacklisted for the next six months. Aviation rules are made for the protection of everybody. There’s nothing about the rules that antagonises any passenger. So, even for the passenger’s own sake, if you watch those videos, does it speak well of the passenger or the pilot? So, we will do everything we can to get to the root of it.
“Everybody who needs to be punished or sanctioned will receive the punishment. The NCAA is writing the Attorney General of the Federation and the Inspector General of Police as we speak to take up a court case against the passenger in this case. President Bola Tinubu is a respecter of the law and so is the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo. Both of them submit themselves to every security check at every airport, everywhere in the world. No Nigerian is above the law,” NCAA said.
Confirming the NCAA’s position, Keyamo said in a statement on Thursday that his preliminary impression was that it was a case of temporary loss of sanity and control on both sides, which could have led to serious fatalities.
He said: “I have received reports from all the relevant aviation agencies regarding the altercation between the staff and crew of ValueJet and Kwam 1 at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on Tuesday, August 7, 2025. I have also received video footages of the incident. Contrary to what the agents of Kwam 1 have said, he constantly moved his position on the tarmac to actually block the aircraft from taxiing to take position on the runway for take-off. This is totally unacceptable behaviour. The issue of whether he was carrying water or alcohol is not even in issue at this point. It is the physical blockage of the aircraft from taxiing that is the reprehensible conduct here, which is akin to a hostage situation. The actual video footage showing this recalcitrant behaviour is hereby attached.
“On the other hand, no amount of provocation should make the captain and pilot of an aircraft begin to taxi without ensuring that the security personnel have safely moved an unruly passenger away that is standing in front of an aircraft. Both sides breached standard safety protocol as required by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
“I have noted that the NCAA has temporarily suspended the license of the captain and the pilot pending full investigation. I commend them for their proactive action. However, I have also questioned their sense of justice in only acting against one party and not the other party. What applies to the goose must also apply to the gander. That is one of the tenets of justice I have preached all my life. I will not sit idly by and allow this to pass.
“In the circumstance, I have also directed the NCAA to place Kwam 1 on a no-fly list pending further and full investigation, just like the captain and pilot. All airlines, both domestic and international, should immediately be informed of this directive, and anyone who flouts this directive risks withdrawal of their operating license.”
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An aviation analyst, Olumide Ohunayo, told Daily Sun that the decision taken by the government is in order. He said: “The government absolutely got it right, from the minister to the NCAA, which is that the two parties were wrong and two wrongs do not make it right. I think they need to show the elite and those who think the law does not apply to them that no one is above the law. Section 459 of the Criminal Code is very clear that if you try to impede an aircraft on an aerodrome in flight, you are liable to face imprisonment two years imprisonment. There is a need to let these people know that aviation is different and here, safety is not taken lightly.”
The President of the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), Abednego Galadima also told Daily Sun that the decision to suspend the pilots and also place Kwam 1 on the ‘no flight’ list was the right thing to do.
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