News
NCAA Explains Difference Between Ibom Air Case and Kwam 1 Incident
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has clarified the reason Comfort Emmanson, an Ibom Air passenger accused of assaulting crew members, was remanded at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre, while Fuji music icon Wasiu Ayinde, popularly known as Kwam 1, who allegedly disrupted a ValueJet flight in Abuja last week, did not face similar court proceedings.
Recall that the Uyo–Lagos incident on Sunday sparked public outrage and accusations of selective justice. Viral videos showed Emmanson slapping and kicking airline and airport officials, including a female air hostess, after she allegedly refused repeated instructions to switch off her phone before take-off. In one clip, she was seen being dragged off the aircraft by security personnel.
This came days after Ayinde was accused of obstructing ValueJet’s morning service (Flight VK 201) to Lagos on August 5, an incident that also led to public criticism.
However, speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Tuesday, NCAA’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Mike Achimugu, said the two incidents were different.
His words: “There is no comparison here; it’s not a case of oranges and oranges. In the Kwam1 incident, the airline did not activate its rights to take the passenger to court, so the NCAAA did what it was supposed to do by petitioning the authorities to petition the passenger.
“In the Ibom Air incident, maybe because their staff had been assaulted, the airline immediately activated its right to take up the matter, and it went to court.”
He noted that the NCAA was not directly involved in Emmanson’s case, whereas in Kwam 1’s situation, the authority issued an advisory to the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) to ban the musician from flights.
Achimugu further clarified that, contrary to earlier reports, Kwam 1 was not placed on a six-month ban but on an indefinite ban pending the outcome of investigations.
Explaining why Emmanson was placed on a no-fly life ban, Achimugu said airline operators have the legal authority to take such action.
“We have a lot of flight disruptions in Nigeria because we lack capacity. There aren’t enough aircraft in the country at the moment to meet passenger demand. So, while managing the limited capacity we have, any risk to an aircraft is unacceptable. People spend huge sums leasing or buying aircraft — do you want to destroy them?
“If anything had happened to that plane yesterday, would she have been able to afford the repairs, beyond the cost?” he asked.
Achimugu added that the aircraft involved was scheduled for another flight, and failing to remove the passenger could have caused further disruptions.
Speaking further, he assured that the Ibom Air case would be handled fairly but warned that “unruly” behaviour by passengers would not be tolerated.
“The point I am trying to make is that no matter the provocation, rest assured that you can always file your complaints with the NCAA, and it will be dealt with. On our part, we will ensure to see the end of it and that there is fairness on every side.”
In a related development, Achimugu, in a post on X on Tuesday, called on passengers who were on the flight to come forward with their accounts of the incident.
“Any person who was a passenger on that flight and witnessed the events that led to the fracas should, as a matter of urgency and fairness, reach out to me via DM or email at [email protected],” he wrote.
“Once verified that you were actually a passenger, we can discuss and understand other perspectives to this issue. In the interest of justice, it’s necessary to hear both sides of the story. Of course, this does not negate the exhibition of unruly behaviour and its ramifications, but it will ensure that every other person who was culpable down the line is held accountable.”
Achimugu added that NCAA officers in Lagos will conduct a fact-finding mission, engaging with the police and other security personnel who handled the matter.
He stressed that the incident offers valuable lessons for all stakeholders – passengers, airline staff, and aviation security – to identify gaps and close loopholes in the system.
“It is a test for the system. No matter how fine regulations are, human behaviour will always be unpredictable. When these events occur, we are able to see the gaps and pluck loopholes.”
As the world celebrate this year’s World Environment Day today,the Ogun State Waste Management Authority OGWAMA as urged residents of the States to keep their environment clean and stop indiscriminate dumping of waste in public places and imbibe proper waste disposal.
Special Adviser to the Governor and Managing Director of the Ogun State Management Authority OGWAMA, Honorable Farouk Akintunde stated this in a statement to mark the 2026 World Environment Day.
He said indiscriminate dumping of waste in public and unauthorized places breeds untidy, unhealthy environment which are inimical to public safety and retard economic growth of the society.
Akintunde also advised them to imbibe proper waste disposal by patronizing Waste PSP assigned to their immediate community for proper waste disposal for just a token instead of them to use the cover of the night to dump them in discriminately on the median,roadsides and public places which he says deface the aesthetic beauty of the State.
“Ogun state residents are known as clean and fun-loving people.We should not allow few of us to dent our pride through their untoward attitudes and behaviors,so when we see them dumping indiscriminately in our environment we should say something”
“We will on our part continue to do our best in terms of proper waste management through sensitization and advocacy as we urge all residents to containerize their waste for easy collection by government accredited PSP”
”For industries domiciled in the state, let me remind them of the need to allow government accredited PSP assigned to them to perform their statutory duties instead of patronizing illegal PSP which will attract sanction when they are caught by our enforcement team as OGWAMA will not allow them to turn the state to dumpsites for illegal industrial waste some of which are not environmentally friendly” Akintunde added.
He did not forget to remind all residents of the State that Ogun State Waste Management Authority will step-up it enforcement activities in all nooks and crannies of the state to maintain a clean,safe and healthy environment .
June 5th, Transfermarkt updated. The new market values of Barcelona players. Three players increased and nine decreased, with Raphinha dropping by 10 million to 70 million euros.
Increase (Euros)
Joan-Garcia increased by 5 million to 45 million
Eric-Garcia increased by 5 million to 40 million
Gerard-Martin increased by 10 million to 35 million
Decrease (Euros)
Raphinha decreased by 10 million to 70 million
Kounde decreased by 5 million to 60 million
Balde decreased by 5 million to 50 million
De Jong decreased by 10 million to 35 million
Casado decreased by 2 million to 18 million
Christensen decreased by 1 million to 8 million
Cancelo decreased by 1 million to 8 million
Lewandowski decreased by 1 million to 7 million
Szczesny decreased by 100,000 to 800,000
Unchanged (Euros)
Yamal 200 million
Pedri 150 million
Fermin 100 million
Cubarsi 80 million
Olmo 60 million
Ferran Torres 50 million
Rashford 40 million
Gavi 30 million
Bernal 30 million
Araujo 20 million
Bardghji 15 million
Singer Niniola Apata has opened up about her late husband, Michael Ndika, and the central role he played in her music career and personal life.
Speaking in a video at a gathering held in his honour, Niniola recounted how their relationship shaped her growth as an artist and as a person.
Ndika, CEO of African music platform NaijaReview, died on May 19, 2026 at 44.
She said he was her strongest supporter from day one even when she considered stepping away from music, he pushed her to continue.
According to her, Ndika believed in her talent and vowed to make her a star.
Niniola described their bond as inseparable, stressing how he was part of her daily routine and her main source of emotional support. Since his death, she said, her life has changed completely.
She thanked his family for embracing her and admitted that coping with the loss has been hard.
Reflecting on their marriage, she called it a love story.
She said Ndika gave her everything and lived for her and while she was the face and voice of her brand, he was the engine behind it.
She said: “My story with Michael is a love story. Michael did everything for me. Everything was for me, he was breathing for me. He loved me, I loved him so much. And I learned so much from Michael. But Michael met me raw, and he said, I’ll make you a superstar.’ And he did. I was just the face and the voice, but Michael was the engine.
“Even when I decided to, you know, give music a break, he didn’t let it. The first person I saw in the morning was Michael. And the last person who closed my eyes at night was Michael. So now what do I do? Tell me, what do I do? Michael was the best thing, the best person that ever happened to me.”
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