Festus Keyamo, the minister of aviation and aerospace development,  announced decision in a statement on Wednesday.

Keyamo noted that the decision was made after consultations with key stakeholders in the aviation sector and consideration of appeals from well-meaning Nigerians.

He said Emmanson, who was involved in an altercation aboard an Ibom Air flight on August 10, had shown “great remorse” during police interrogation in the presence of her lawyer.

He confirmed that the complaint against her had been withdrawn, adding that the police would work to secure her release from Kirikiri prison this week.

The minister said the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) had also agreed to lift the lifetime flying ban imposed on her, with details of the resolution to be announced by the group.

Speaking on KWAM 1’s case, Keyamo said the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) had reduced the artiste’s flight ban to one month and would withdraw its police complaint.

He added that the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) would engage the musician as an ambassador for airport security protocol.

Also, the NCAA will restore the licences of ValueJet pilot Captain Oluranti Ogoyi and co-pilot Ivan Oloba after a one-month suspension and mandatory professional reappraisal.

Keyamo further directed aviation agencies to begin a retreat next week and retrain security personnel on handling disruptive passengers and de-escalating tense situations.

“These decisions were taken purely on compassionate grounds,” he said.

“We have decided to draw a line after these clemencies.”

The post FG grants pardon to KWAM 1, withdraws criminal complaints against Ibom Air passenger first appeared on The Times of Abuja.

The Ibom Air incident, which occurred on the Uyo–Lagos route on Sunday, has triggered public outrage and accusations of selective justice.

But speaking on Channels Television on Tuesday, Mike Achimugu, the director of public affairs and consumer protection of the NCAA, said the two incidents were different.

“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 NCAA did what it was supposed to do by petitioning the authorities to petition the passenger,” Achimugu said.

“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, while the authority issued an advisory to the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) to ban the musician from flights in KWAM 1’s situation.

He stated that KWAM 1 was not placed on a six-month ban but on an indefinite ban pending the outcome of investigations.

On the other hand, Achimugu said Emmanson was placed on a no-fly life ban, noting that airline operators have the legal authority to take such action.

The post ‘No selective justice’ — NCAA speaks on Ibom Air, KWAM 1 flight disruption cases first appeared on The Times of Abuja.