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The drama unfolded during boarding for a flight to Lagos on Tuesday when aviation security personnel asked KWAM 1 to hand over a flask, suspecting it contained alcohol
Video footage circulating on social media shows KWAM 1 attempting to physically obstruct the aircraft as it began to move.
Popular Nigerian fuji singer King Wasiu Ayinde Marshal, known as KWAM 1, has been placed on the country’s no-fly list following a dramatic confrontation at Abuja’s Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.
The directive, issued by Nigerian Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo, comes after KWAM 1 allegedly blocked a ValueJet aircraft from taxiing on the tarmac.
The drama unfolded during boarding for a flight to Lagos on Tuesday when aviation security personnel asked KWAM 1 to hand over a flask, suspecting it contained alcohol. The singer reportedly refused and allegedly spilled the contents—later confirmed as alcohol—on one of the officers. He was subsequently deboarded.
Video footage circulating on social media, including one shared by Keyamo, shows KWAM 1 attempting to physically obstruct the aircraft as it began to move. The singer had to crouch to avoid being struck by the plane’s wing.
In a social media post on X Thursday, Keyamo confirmed that the singer stood in front of the aircraft on the tarmac, blocking its taxiing, after being denied boarding.
THE INCIDENT INVOLVING VALUEJET AND KWAM 1:I have received reports from all the relevant Aviation agencies regarding the altercation between the staff and crew of ValueJet and Kwam 1 at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on Tuesday, August 5, 2025. I have also… pic.twitter.com/STma3UfKo8
— Festus Keyamo, SAN, CON, FCIArb (UK) (@fkeyamo) August 7, 2025
Keyamo condemned the entire episode as “a case of temporary loss of sanity and control on both sides,” and likened KWAM 1’s behaviour to a hostage situation.
“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 Nigerian minister noted.
Keyamo further emphasised that whether the flask contained water or alcohol was irrelevant compared to the seriousness of blocking an aircraft.
“It is the physical blockage of the aircraft from taxiing that is the reprehensible conduct here which akin to a hostage situation,” he added.
Following the incident, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority also suspended the licences of both the captain and pilot involved.
KWAM 1 is an iconic figure in southwest Nigeria, renowned for his traditional fuji music, a genre rooted in the Yoruba community. He is also a close affiliate of Nigerian President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress, having performed at numerous party rallies and the presidential inaugural ball in May 2023.
(With inputs from AFP)
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