Popular Fuji musician King Wasiu Ayinde Marshal, widely known as KWAM 1, has been placed on a six-month flight ban by Nigerian airline operators following a disruptive incident at Abuja’s Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on August 5, 2025.
Sources within the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) confirmed that the artist has been added to a no-fly list, pending the conclusion of an ongoing investigation. “He will be on the list pending the duration of our investigation,” an NCAA official told this newspaper. The agency is expected to release an official statement soon.
However, in a video posted by Channels Television, NCAA’s Director of Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, announced publicly that KWAM 1 would be blacklisted for six months.
“Everybody involved in this will be brought to book,” he said during a press briefing in Abuja. “Aviation rules are made for everybody… and we will get to the root of it.”
The incident began when KWAM 1 was denied boarding after attempting to bring a flask of liquid, suspected to be alcohol, onto a ValueJet flight. He allegedly spilled the liquid on a security officer, then proceeded to stand in front of the aircraft, physically blocking it from taxiing. Viral footage showed him crouching on the tarmac to avoid the aircraft’s wings.
Achimugu emphasized that no individual is above the law, referencing both President Bola Tinubu and Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo as examples of public figures who comply with airport security procedures.
“Would this passenger have disobeyed this law at Heathrow or anywhere outside Nigeria?” he asked. He added that KWAM 1 cited a medical condition requiring regular water intake, but questioned whether cabin crew couldn’t have accommodated that onboard.
Pilots Suspended
In response to the safety breach, the NCAA has also suspended the licenses of two ValueJet pilots—Captain Oluranti Ogoyi and First Officer Ivan Oloba—for violating standard departure procedures. Preliminary findings indicate the pilots attempted to taxi the aircraft without proper clearance.
Kwam 1 Responds
KWAM 1, 68, dismissed the allegations through a statement issued by his media aide, Kunle Rasheed, calling the reports exaggerated and misleading. According to him, several senior officials, including representatives from FAAN, NCAA, and ValueJet, later apologised to him over the handling of the incident.
