*Reprehensible Conduct, It Adds
By our reporter
Federal Government (FG) has come down hard on musician, Wasiu Ayinde Marshal, otherwise known as KWAM 1, describing his actions in blocking a jet from taxing on the tarmac as “reprehensible conduct here which is akin to a hostage situation.”
Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, in a lengthy post on X today, described the incident that happened between the Fuji musician and some staff and crew of an airline, ValueJet, as “a case of temporary loss of sanity and control on both sides.”
The Minister, who stated that he had reviewed footage from the occurrence, which happened on Tuesday, August 5, dismissed the narrative of the musician’s agents, saying, from what he saw on the footage, Marshal “constantly moved his position to actually block the aircraft from taxiing.”
Keyamo clarified that whether the singer was carrying water or alcohol was immaterial because of his “totally unacceptable behaviour” on the tarmac.
“It is the physical blockage of the aircraft from taxiing that is the reprehensible conduct here which akin to a hostage situation,” he declared.
Turning to the ValueJet captain and pilot, the Minister emphasized that no degree of provocation should have made them begin to taxi “without ensuring that the security personnel have safely moved an unruly passenger away that is standing in front of an aircraft.”
Thus, he okayed the temporary suspension of the aircraft captain and pilot’s license until full investigation by regulator, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
He directed NCAA to place KWAM 1 on a no-fly list “pending further and full investigation, just like the captain and pilot.”
FG warned both international and domestic airlines to take note of the directive as similar punitive measure awaits defaulters.
Recall that Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Obiageli Orah, had accused the 68-year-old of committing the offence while boarding a ValueJet Airlines morning flight (Flight VK 201) to Lagos.
FAAN alleged that Kwam 1, a close associate of President Bola Tinubu, brought an alcoholic beverage onto the commercial flight.
This reportedly raised concerns for a flight attendant, who reminded him that alcohol consumption is prohibited on domestic flights in Nigeria.
The attendant was said to have asked him to surrender the flask, but the musician allegedly refused, insisting it contained medication prescribed by his doctor.
Despite repeated requests, Kwam 1 reportedly refused to comply, prompting the flight attendant to request his removal from the aircraft.
The situation degenerated into a confrontation between the singer and airline staff.
However, in response, Kwam 1’s spokesperson, Kunle Rasheed, in a statement on Wednesday night, dismissed the allegations as both exaggerated and misleading.
