Abuja
Nigeria Police Probe Tinubu Ally KWAM1 Over Abuja Airport Incident
Nigeria Police Probe Tinubu Ally KWAM1 Over Abuja Airport Incident
Nigeria police probe Tinubu ally KWAM1 over Abuja airport incident. KWAM1 was caught on video trying to stop a ValueJet aircraft from taking off, an act branded as ‘terrorism’.
The Nigeria Police Force has begun a probe of Fuji music veteran Wasiu Ayinde Marshal, better known as KWAM1, after the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) accused him of obstructing the safe operation of a commercial aircraft at Abuja’s Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.
The NCAA had earlier moved against KWAM1, President Bola Tinubu’s ally, imposing a six-month ban on him from flying on any Nigerian carrier.
The agency also announced the suspension of the pilot and co-pilot on duty that day, saying their roles in the incident would be reviewed for possible violations of aviation protocols.
In its petition to the police, the NCAA said the singer’s conduct breached the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations, 2023, and posed a threat to the safety of passengers and crew.
The agency described the sanctions as a necessary deterrent “to preserve the integrity of Nigeria’s aviation safety framework.”
Hours after receiving the petition, the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, directed the commissioner of police in charge of the Airport command to open a full investigation.
In a Tuesday night statement, Force spokesman, DSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said the IGP wanted a “thorough investigation to unravel the circumstances which led to the ugly incident and ensure justice is served accordingly.”
Mr. Adejobi, in his statement, said the police would handle the KWAM 1 investigation “with transparency” and in collaboration with the NCAA.
The probe is expected to include witness statements from passengers and crew, reviews of CCTV footage from the airport, examination of flight data, and interviews with airline officials. The outcome will determine whether criminal charges will be filed against the Fuji musician.
KWAM 1, a well-known loyalist of Mr. Tinubu and prominent performer at All Progressives Congress (APC) political rallies and private presidential functions, issued a statement apologising to the airline, the pilot, Nigerians, and the authorities. He described his behaviour as “regrettable” and pledged to “exercise utmost decorum in future travels.”
The investigation has drawn public interest not only because of KWAM 1’s celebrity status but also due to accusations of double standards in Nigeria’s justice system.
Police
Critics have recalled the recent ordeal of another air passenger, Comfort Emmanson, who was arrested aboard an Ibom Air flight over alleged unruly behaviour, arraigned almost immediately, and remanded at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre in Lagos.
The Nigerian Bar Association condemned Ms. Emmanson’s detention as “unlawful and excessive” and announced it would provide her with free legal representation.
Many Nigerians have pointed to the swiftness and severity of her prosecution compared to the more measured official response in KWAM 1’s case, despite both incidents involving alleged breaches of aviation safety rules.
The NCAA has insisted that its sanctions will remain in force until the conclusion of both its internal inquiry and the police investigation.
The regulator also hinted at further industry-wide enforcement actions to ensure that “aviation safety is not compromised by the influence or status of any passenger.”
FCTA Confirms Antivenom Stock, Warns Negligent Hospitals, Gives Emergency Lines
FCTA confirms antivenom stock, warns negligent hospitals, gives emergency lines. The FCTA said all public hFCTA confirms antivenom stock, warns negligent hospitals, gives emergency linesospitals have sufficient antivenom after singer Ifunanya Nwangene’s death at FMC Jabi. Dr. Adedolapo Fasawe warned facilities to follow protocols or face sanctions, stressing that early treatment is critical.
FCTA
The territory has added 12 ambulances, improved ICUs, and centralized antivenom storage.
Residents are urged to use emergency lines 090157892931 or 090157892932.
FCT Police Warn NLC Against Planned Abuja Protest, Say Proscribed Groups Plot To Hijack
FCT Police warn NLC against planned Abuja protest, say proscribed groups plot to hijack. The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) police command has warned the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) against its planned protest scheduled for Tuesday in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
The NLC leadership had fixed February 3 for a solidarity rally along with members of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria and the Joint Union Action Committee (JUAC) at the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) secretariat in Garki Area 11.
The NLC declared that the rally is to publicly affirm that “an injury to one is an injury to all”, adding that the Nigerian labour movement will not abandon its members.
On January 24, the labour body declared support for the indefinite strike by workers of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), describing the action as “necessary and heroic” in response to alleged violation of workers’ rights.
In a statement, Joe Ajaero, NLC president, said the labour union stood “in very strong solidarity” with FCTA workers under the aegis of JUAC.
Ajaero described the strike as “a necessary and heroic response to a vicious cocktail of neoliberal attacks, gross administrative impunity, and a systematic violation of the fundamental rights of workers by the FCTA management and its political leadership”.
However, in a statement on Monday, Josephine Adeh, FCT police spokesperson, said the command respects the constitutional right to peaceful assembly, but noted that intelligence reports indicate “plans by proscribed groups and other non-state actors to infiltrate and hijack the protest, posing a risk to public peace and safety”.
Adeh said in the interest of public safety, the organisers should consider rescheduling the protest to prevent any breakdown of law and order and to protect lives, property, and the rights of other residents.
Police
“The Command remains committed to safeguarding all lawful activities and urges residents to continue cooperating with security agencies to keep the FCT peaceful and secure,” the statement reads.
Meanwhile, the national industrial court has reportedly issued an interim order restraining the NLC, TUC and JUAC from embarking on the planned protest.
The court had earlier ordered workers on the payroll of the FCT administration to suspend the strike.
Emmanuel Subilim, the presiding judge, held that although the matter before the court amounted to a trade dispute, the defendants’ right to embark on industrial action was not absolute.
Akwa Ibom Indigenes Protest RMAFC Meeting, Warn Against Tampering With State’s Oil Wells
Akwa Ibom indigenes protest RMAFC meeting, warn against tampering with State’s Oil Wells. Akwa Ibom indigenes resident in Abuja on Tuesday stormed the venue of a meeting of the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), where the Inter-Agency Technical Committee (IATC) on Disputed/New Oil Wells was sitting, to protest what they described as attempts to reopen a matter already settled by the Supreme Court.
The protesters cautioned that no individual or agency should tamper with Akwa Ibom State’s 76 oil wells, stressing that the ownership of the wells was conclusively determined in favour of the state by the Supreme Court in 2012.
They insisted that any move to revisit the issue through administrative or technical processes would amount to a disregard for the authority of the apex court and could undermine peace in the Niger Delta region.
Akwa Ibom State was formally represented at the IATC meeting by a high-powered delegation comprising leading legal practitioners, government officials and technocrats. Members of the delegation included Paul Usoro, SAN; Assam Assam, SAN; the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Uko Udom, SAN; Uwemedimo Nwoko, SAN; Emmanuel Enoidem, SAN; and a former Attorney-General of Akwa Ibom State.
Akwa Ibom Indigenes Protest RMAFC Meeting
Also on the state’s delegation were the Commissioner for Finance, Mr Emem Bob, Former Attorney General and Commissioner Justice, Barr. Ekpenyong Ntekim; the Commissioner for Information, Dr. Aniekan Umanah; Honourable Member representing Ikot Ekpene Federal Constituency, Dr Patrick Umoh, among others.
The delegation is expected to present Akwa Ibom State’s position before the committee, reiterating that the Supreme Court judgment remains final and binding, and urging all relevant federal agencies to respect and uphold the ruling.
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