The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has petitioned the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, and the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, seeking the prosecution of Fuji musician Wasiu Ayinde, popularly known as K1 De Ultimate, over what it described as unruly behaviour at the Abuja airport on Tuesday.

NCAA spokesperson Michael Achimugu said Ayinde’s attempt to block a moving ValueJet aircraft violated Nigeria’s civil aviation regulations.

In a formal letter to the AGF and IGP, the NCAA called for “a comprehensive criminal investigation and the initiation of appropriate prosecution in accordance with the provisions of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig. CARs) 2023 and other applicable laws.”

The regulator had earlier imposed a six-month ban on Ayinde, warning that any airline — domestic or international — that allows him to board risks losing its operating licence.

Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo condemned the incident, describing Ayinde’s act of physically blocking a moving aircraft as “unacceptable and reprehensible.” He noted that video footage clearly showed the musician repeatedly changing his position on the tarmac to obstruct the aircraft from taxiing to the runway for take-off — behaviour he likened to “a hostage situation.”

Keyamo said the issue of whether Ayinde was carrying alcohol or water was irrelevant, stressing that the central offence was obstructing the aircraft’s movement.

The minister also ordered that Ayinde be placed on a no-fly list pending a full investigation, directing the NCAA to inform all airlines immediately.

The NCAA has already suspended two ValueJet pilots — Captain Oluranti Ogoyi and First Officer Ivan Oloba — for breaching safety protocols during the incident. Keyamo criticised both parties, noting that “no amount of provocation should make a pilot taxi an aircraft without security personnel safely removing an unruly passenger from the front of the aircraft.”

According to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the confrontation began after Ayinde was denied boarding a Lagos-bound flight because he carried a flask containing alcohol, which he allegedly spilled on an aviation staff member during an angry outburst.

Ayinde, a hugely popular Fuji musician from southwest Nigeria and a staunch supporter of President Bola Tinubu, has longstanding ties to the All Progressives Congress (APC) and has performed at several of the party’s rallies and official events, including the presidential inaugural ball in May 2023.