The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has accused veteran Fuji musician Wasiu Ayinde, popularly known as K1 de Ultimate, and officials of ValueJet of violating standard safety protocols at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Keyamo said his review of incident reports and video footage from relevant aviation agencies confirmed that the musician and the aircraft crew acted inappropriately during the altercation at the domestic terminal.
“From all the details so far received, my preliminary impression is that it was obviously a case of temporary loss of sanity and control on both sides, which could have led to serious fatalities,” the minister said.
He explained that K1 physically blocked a taxiing aircraft on the tarmac — a move he described as “reprehensible” and likened to a hostage situation.
“Contrary to what the agents of K1 have said, he constantly moved his position on the tarmac to actually block the aircraft from taxiing to take position on the runway for takeoff. This is totally unacceptable behaviour,” Keyamo said.
“Whether he was carrying water or alcohol is immaterial. It is the act of physically obstructing the aircraft that is at issue.”
Keyamo also faulted the aircraft crew, stating that the captain and pilot should not have commenced taxiing while an unruly passenger was still in front of the aircraft.
“No amount of provocation should make the captain of an aircraft begin to taxi without ensuring that security personnel have safely moved a passenger away from the path. Both sides breached standard safety protocol as required by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO),” he declares.
As a result, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has suspended the licences of the captain and pilot involved in the incident.
In a firm stance, the minister also ordered that K1 be placed on a no-fly list, pending the outcome of a full investigation.
“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,” Keyamo declared.
He directed the NCAA to notify all domestic and international airlines of the no-fly order, warning that any airline that disregards the directive risks losing its operating license.