The WABMA Media Development Foundation has urged Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo to reverse a proposed plan to engage fuji star King Wasiu Ayinde Marshall (KWAM 1) as an airport security protocol “ambassador,” arguing that such a move “sounds like a reward for bad behaviour” and undermines equal justice in the aviation sector.
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In a press statement issued Wednesday, August 13, 2025 Keyamo outlined government decisions following two high-profile airport incidents: the case of one Ms. Comfort Emmanson on an Ibom Air flight on Sunday, August 10, 2025, and a separate ValueJet incident involving KWAM 1. The minister said Ibom Air would withdraw its complaint against Ms. Emmanson, steps would be taken for her release from custody this week, and an industry lifetime flying ban on her would be lifted. He added that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) would cut KWAM 1’s flight ban to one month, withdraw criminal complaints against him, and that the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) would work with the musician as an ambassador for airport security protocols. He also announced a retreat next week to retrain aviation security personnel and review airline staff conduct. Ms. Emmanson was released from Kirikiri correctional centre where she had been remanded since the incident.
Ms. Comfort Emmanson was pardoned.
Reacting to the minister’s decisions, WABMA said the contrasting responses to the two cases reflect “two standards” and amount to “violence by procedure,” contending that institutional handling of the incidents inflicted disproportionate and gendered harm on Emmanson while offering indulgence to a politically connected male offender.
“When power and status dictate who is protected and who is punished, the result is not enforcement — it is violence by procedure,” said Dr. Ken Ike Okere, Executive Director of WABMA, calling on authorities to “embody justice, not merely perform it.”
WABMA’s primary demand is that Keyamo vacate the ambassadorial designation for KWAM 1 and replace it with community service, especially given allegations that the artist splashed the contents of a flask on a female pilot and cabin crew—an act the group frames as gender-based violence. The NGO further argues that attempting to obstruct a commercial aircraft from flying is the “heavier offence,” yet the offender is being positioned for an ambassadorial role.
King Wasiu Ayinde Marshall pleaded for forgiveness and got more than forgiveness.
The symbolic reversal is part of WABMA’s a five-point action plan for systemic reform across the aviation ecosystem. WABMA recommends the adoption of SGBV-informed SOPs for arrest, restraint, and removal in airports and on aircraft, with explicit prohibitions on degrading treatment except under tightly controlled, documented safety conditions. They urged authorities to apply identical standards regardless of status; as well as back an independent NGO review of both cases with published findings and corrective actions.
The NGO, which has an ongoing project working with leaders of faith and culture against SGBV, proposed that the minister’s planned security retraining should be expanded to include gender, SGBV, and human-rights modules. They also backed the adoption of incident documentation and body-worn camera policies; and the creation of a rapid-response oversight desk with civil society representation to review dignity-rights complaints within 72 hours.
Dr Ken Ike Ikere… His NGO is unhappy with the handling of the cases.
The NGO also recommended that the regulators standardise incident recording, including sex-disaggregated data, use-of-force levels, and outcomes, and publish quarterly NCAA dashboards to demonstrate equal enforcement and continuous improvement.
While welcoming Keyamo’s withdrawal of complaints against Emmanson and to convene retraining across agencies, WABMA said the broader lesson is that “public humiliation, excessive force, and rapid criminalisation of one party, alongside indulgence and soft sanctions for another, erode trust and normalise impunity.” The group also appealed for more responsible media practices that avoid re-victimisation while still ensuring accountability.
WABMA’s intervention comes as the aviation ministry signals it is “drawing a line” after the clemencies. Whether the proposed ambassadorial role proceeds—and whether the promised retraining and accountability measures incorporate SGBV-sensitive safeguards—will be early tests of the sector’s commitment to equal justice.
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