The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, CON, FCIArb (UK), has announced far-reaching resolutions on two high-profile aviation incidents involving Ms. Comfort Emmanson and Fuji music legend, Wasiu Ayinde Marshall (KWAM 1). The disputes, which stirred nationwide debate, have renewed attention on passenger behaviour, airline staff conduct, and Nigeria’s aviation security standards.
In the past 48 hours, the minister held consultations with key industry stakeholders and the parties involved. While describing the incidents as regrettable, he stressed that they served as case studies for the travelling public and airline personnel on the importance of decorum, compliance, and professional conflict resolution in the aviation space.
“Clear wrongs were committed by both the passengers and the airline staff involved. Everyone must acknowledge their role in the matter rather than dwell solely on grievances,” Keyamo said.
Withdrawal of Complaint: Ibom Air will formally drop its criminal complaint against Ms. Emmanson over her August 10 incident, paving the way for her release from Kirikiri Prisons this week.
Ban Lifted: The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) will remove the lifetime flight ban on Emmanson after the minister’s intervention.
Reduced Ban for KWAM 1: The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) will cut the Fuji star’s flight ban to one month, and FAAN will engage him as a public ambassador for airport security protocol awareness. NCAA will also withdraw its complaint against him.
Restoration of Pilots’ Licences: ValueJet’s Captain Oluranti Ogoyi and First Officer Ivan Oloba will regain their licences after serving a one-month suspension and completing mandatory professional re-assessment.
Sector-Wide Security Retreat: Starting next week, aviation agencies will hold a retreat focused on retraining security personnel, improving conflict de-escalation skills, and fostering better passenger-staff relations.
Keyamo stressed that these decisions were made on compassionate grounds, but warned that the government would not tolerate future violations of aviation safety rules.
“These clemencies mark the end of the matter, but also the beginning of stricter enforcement,” he stated.
