KWAM1 Vs. Emmanson: NCAA Replies Peter Obi, Explains Why The Musician Was Not Arrested

By Charles Igbo

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Authority, NCAA, has explained why  Juju Musician Wasiu Ayinde, popular as Kwam1 De Ultimate was not arraigned before the Court for his unruly behavior at the local wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport recently.

Kwam1 had, on Thursday, August 7, stood in front of a ValueJet Airline billed for Lagos, in a bid to stop the plane from departing because the ground staff refused to board him for insisting on boarding with an alleged alcohol-filled flask. He, however, insists it was water not alcohol.

For such severe offence at the airport which many say bordered on terrorism, Kwam1 was neither arrested nor arraigned in Court. The sanction given to him was a placement on a “no-fly list”, initially, for six months, but reduced to the period of investigation.

However, on Monday, August 11, a Ms. Comfort Emmanson who was on board an Ibom Air flight from Uyo to Lagos  exhibited an unruly behavior by not only, allegedly, defying an order to switch off her phone, but went physical with the crew on board, and thereafter, ground staff while resisting arrest.

She was later arrested, taken to the Police, arraigned in Court and is in prison custody.

Many Nigerians, including Peter Obi, Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 Presidential Election, have queried what they saw as preferential and different treatment given to Kwam1. Comparing the fate of Emmanson to Kwam1’s, Obi described it as “double standards”.

However, in response when he spoke on the incident, NCAA Spokesperson, Michael Achimugu,  clarified that Emmanson was not arrested and charged to Court by the NCAA. He explained that the Airline, Ibom Air, did. In the case of Kwam1, he said, ValueJet decided not to arrest Kwam1 or sue him.

His words as explained to Newspot Nigeria:

“There is nothing to put together here. The Ibom Air  passenger was arrested and charged to Court by the Airline.

“The Airline has exercised its right to sue the unruly passenger in Court. So long as that case is in Court, the NCAA has no role to play in it. Okay.

“But in the Kwam1 case, since the Airline did not sue or take the passenger to Court, the NCAA, which also does not have prosecutorial powers, decided to do the right thing by criminally referring the case to the Attorney General and the Inspector General of Police.

“So, if ValueJet had arrested and taken Kwam1 to Court that day, the NCAA would not have been involved to the extent that it became involved.

“Because they didn’t do that, the NCAA did what it had to do. In this case the Airline, since the incident happened, immediately arrested the lady and sued her to Court. So, that’s not the NCAA’s fault.

“We did not sue Kwam1. We did not sue the Lady.”

But, not a few people disagree with Achimugu while insisting that aviation security falls on the Federal Government, and so, NCAA.

Ms. Emmanson has, also, been banned by Ibom Air on all its flights  for life, while the NCAA has placed her on a “no -fly list” until the end of investigation. But again, many ask: “What investigation when she has already been arraigned in Court and remanded in prison custody?”