A fresh clip has shown how Wasiu Ayinde, the veteran Fuji musician popularly known as Kwam 1, engaged personnel of ValueJet in an altercation that culminated in the airline breaching safety protocol.
The incident occurred on August 5 at the domestic wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
Sources said that Kwam 1, who was onboard the ValueJet plane, was seen sipping from a flask and was approached by a flight attendant who suspected that the content was alcohol — a substance prohibited onboard aircraft in Nigeria.
The attendant then asked the musician to give up the flask. Kwam 1 demurred, saying the flask contained a medication prescribed by his doctor.
As tempers flared, Kwam 1 reportedly spilt the substance on ValueJet personnel.
On August 6, footage of the popular musician ducking a wing of the plane as the aircraft abruptly taxied on the runway, went viral.
BLOCKING THE AIRCRAFT
In the new clip, officials of the airline could be seen asking the Fuji artiste to leave the front of the aircraft as the pilot and ground crew prepared for take-off.
Kwam 1 could be seen still clutching his flask with a mobile phone pressed to his ear. A voice hollered “what’s all this?” amid the roar of the aircraft’s engine and din from the airport.
In the video, Kwam 1 stood in front of the aircraft, moving to block the airplane as the pilot made to steer right and left.
Following his refusal to give up the flask, the flight crew had deboarded the celebrity.
Consequently, an enraged Kwam 1 proceeded to the front of the aircraft in an attempt to prevent it from taking off.
‘MY FLASK CONTAINED WATER, NOT ALCOHOL’
In a statement on August 6, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) said Kwam 1 spilt alcohol on aviation personnel when they attempted to verify the content of the flask.
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has since suspended two ValueJet pilots over the safety breach.
However, in a statement released by Kunle Rasheed, his media aide, on Thursday, Kwam 1 said the incident was “not only exaggerated but also misleading”.
The singer argued that the substance in his flask was “plain drinking water” given to him at the airport lounge as he awaited boarding, and “not alcohol”.
Ayinde insisted that he “adhered to protocols” and sought to clarify the misunderstanding “peacefully,” but that the entire incident was “unnecessarily escalated”.
