Festus Keyamo, minister of aviation and aerospace development, says some private jet owners use their aircraft for money laundering and drug trafficking.

Keyamo spoke on Thursday, during the inauguration of a ministerial task force committee on illegal private chartered operations and related matters in Abuja.

The minister said he had set a five-point agenda that would guide him and his team in discharging the mandate of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu when he assumed office.

He said the five-point agenda encapsulates safety, infrastructure, support for local operators, human capacity development and revenue generation.

Accordingly, he said the ministry has identified issues within the aviation industry “that we must tackle headlong”.

“It has come to my attention, through a series of disturbing reports, that the practice of illegal charter operations is thriving within the aviation industry, thereby undermining the efforts of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and other regulatory bodies,” he said.

“These illicit activities have not only resulted in significant financial losses to the Federal Government but have also raised security and safety concerns as the operations of private aircraft owners have remained largely unchecked and unregulated.”

This, Keyamo said, has also resulted in using private aircraft for other illegal activities.

“Last week, the National Security Adviser wrote to us, alerting us of the spike in money laundering, drug trafficking and other illegal activities through the use of private aircraft in the country,” the minister said.

“It appears that Private Non-Commercial Flight (PNCF) operators have become increasingly emboldened, continuing their illegal operations with the assistance of Air Operator Certificate (AOC) holders who collect tolls and list these illegal charters under their AOCs.

“We have received alarming reports that some crew members have not attended mandatory simulator trainings for nearly three years and are flying with fraudulently-obtained renewed licenses.

“Many of these individuals are operating planes registered under PNCF but are conducting illegal charter operations with impunity.

KEYAMO CONSTITUTES COMMITTEE

To combat the illegal operators, the minister announced the immediate composition of a ministerial task force on illegal private charter operations and related matters.

He said some of the responsibilities of the task force include taking “inventory of all permit for non-commercial flights (PNCF) holders and air operator certificate (AOC) holders, to determine why the practice of illegal charters by PNCF holders persists in the country despite regulatory controls”.

The task force, according to the minister, was also created to “call in all professional licenses of pilots and crew in the country and determine their authenticity and validity, and to recommend to the Minister any additional measures to be taken by regulatory agencies to stem this ugly tide”.

He said the committee is expected to recommend appropriate penalties to be imposed by the regulatory agencies on defaulters and additional measures to monitor private aircraft operations in Nigeria.

The minister added that the members of the task force have been carefully selected from within the aviation industry and are people of high repute and integrity.

He named Ado Sanusi as chairman of the committee, Roland Iyayi, as vice-chairman, and acting director of air transport, aviation ministry as secretary.

Other members of the committee, he said, include Theresa Babayo, director of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA); Olayinka Oyesola, commander of the presidential air fleet; Daniel Quansah; Patrick Ogunlowo; and Obafemi Bajomo, Keyamo’s special assistant (SA).

1. Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, former governor of Kaduna State, hosted Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, at his Abuja residence, on Thursday. El-Rufai hosted the New Nigerian People’s Party, NNPP, former presidential candidate, a few days after visiting former President Muhammadu Buhari in Daura, Katsina State.

2. Minister of Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, tackled Mike Ozekhome, Senior Advocate of Nigeria SAN, at a programme in Abuja, on Thursday over claims that the country has not made progress since it returned to democracy. Wike, who was an awardee at This Nigeria Lecture and Award, said previous speakers acted as if there has been no gain for the country under democracy.

3. There was fear among successful candidates being recruited for the Constable cadre into the Nigeria Police Force following a recent crash witnessed by the recruitment portal of the Police Service Commission. It was learnt that the portal, containing the list of successful candidates for the recently concluded recruitment, could not be accessed again.

4. The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, has ordered the arrest of two officers of the Commission allegedly involved in the manhandling of a female staff of Regional Hotel, Ojo, Lagos.

5. Senate President Godswill Akpabio has said the red chamber will approve funds for the purchase of a new presidential jet if requested by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Speaking during plenary on Thursday, Akpabio, however, said he had not received any correspondence from the President requesting the Senate’s approval for a presidential jet.

6. President Bola Tinubu has approved the National Construction and Household Support Programme during the National Economic Council meeting on Thursday in Abuja. According to a statement issued by the presidential spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, the programme is aimed at boosting agricultural productivity, strengthening the economy, and providing immediate economic relief for Nigerian households.

7. The Lagos State Police Command has commenced an investigation to unravel the true circumstances surrounding the death of the former Chief Executive Officer of Konga, one of Nigeria’s e-commerce giants, Nick Imudia, who reportedly died by suicide at his residence in the Lekki area of Lagos State.

8. The Imo State Commissioner of Police, Aboki Danjuma, on Thursday, expressed the determination of the police to apprehend the killers of six traders in the Okigwe area of the state, assuring the residents, particularly the traders at the Gariki Market, in the Okigwe Local Government Area of the state of their maximum safety and security.

9. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on Thursday urged the Federal High Court in Abuja to punish two Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) – Ifedayo Adedipe and Abdulwahab Muhammed – for contempt. It is for their failure to honour their commitment to produce the immediate-past Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello for arraignment.

10. The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, in the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, ATBU, Bauchi State, yesterday staged a peaceful protest, urging President Bola Tinubu to implement Prof. Nimi Briggs’ recommended salaries for academic staff of federal universities. The protesting members marched from their secretariat in the Yelwa campus to the main gate, holding placards with various inscriptions to draw attention to their plight over the years.

Mikah Suleiman, the abducted parish priest of St. Raymond Catholic Church in Damba, Gusau, Zamfara state, has pleaded for help to regain freedom.

In a 51-second video clip trending on social media, Suleiman, dressed in a blue T-shirt with boxer shorts, is seen sitting on the ground while calling for help.

Suleiman was kidnapped by bandits in the early hours of June 22 at the rectory located within the church premises in Gusau, the state capital.

The priest said he was the only one being held captive by the bandits.

“I am pleading for help to be freed from this place. They (bandits) told me that they don’t keep people here for long. People don’t stay for up to a week,” he said.

“They told me that killing a person is not difficult for them. They said they are just helping me by keeping me; please, I am asking for help.

“Please save my life in the name of God. Look at my head; look at my legs. I was tied to a robe, and I am the only one in this place.

“Normally, if they kidnap somebody, they don’t waste time.

“If ransom is not paid immediately, they kill the person. Please, for God’s sake, help me.”

A few seconds to the end of the video, a stick from one of the bandits standing off the camera was seen touching his head.