The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has announced a resolution to two recent high-profile cases in Nigeria’s aviation sector — the detention of Comfort Emmanson and the one-year flight ban on Fuji music legend Wasiu Ayinde, also known as KWAM 1.
Speaking in a statement on Wednesday, Keyamo said that Ibom Air had withdrawn its complaint against Emmanson, allowing the police to begin the process for her release from Kirikiri Prison this week.
Emmanson was arrested after an incident aboard an Ibom Air flight on August 10, 2025. According to Keyamo, she expressed “great remorse” during police questioning in the presence of her lawyer. Following discussions, the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) also agreed to lift the lifetime flying ban they had placed on her.
“With Ibom Air withdrawing its complaint, the Commissioner of Police at the Airport Command and the Police Prosecutor will now take the steps needed to release her this week,” Keyamo said. “The AON has also agreed to remove her lifetime ban, and details will be made public soon.”
On the KWAM 1 case, the minister said that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) had decided to reduce the musician’s one-year ban to one month. The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) will also work with him to promote airport security awareness, and the NCAA will drop its criminal complaint.
“In KWAM 1’s case, FAAN will engage him as an ambassador to educate travellers on proper airport security behaviour,” Keyamo said. “The NCAA will also restore the licenses of the pilots involved in the incident — Captain Oluranti Ogoyi and First Officer Ivan Oloba of ValueJet — after a one-month suspension and a mandatory professional reappraisal.”
The minister stressed that both passengers and airline staff share responsibility for the incidents. “All the actors involved must accept that they also contributed to what happened,” he said.
Keyamo also revealed that aviation and security agencies will hold a retreat next week to train personnel on how to handle conflicts with disruptive passengers. Airlines will also review how their staff treat travellers.
“These decisions were taken on compassionate grounds,” he added. “Safety and security in aviation remain our priority, but it’s time to move forward after granting these clemencies.”
