Damilola Marshal, daughter of Fuji music legend Wasiu Ayinde Marshal, popularly known as Kwam 1 or K1 De Ultimate, has reacted to the incident surrounding her father’s recent encounter at the Abuja airport, insisting that he was falsely accused of breaching aviation regulations.
Chronicle NG reports that according to a statement by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the 68-year-old musician had carried an alcoholic beverage in a flask while boarding a ValueJet Airlines flight (Flight VK 201) headed for Lagos.
The agency described this as a breach of safety protocols.
Reacting to the development, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) also stepped in, blacklisting the musician for six months and also threatened to revoke the license of any airline that flies him.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, condemned the act during the incident at Abuja airport, describing KWAM 1’s conduct as “unacceptable” and a potential safety threat.
Damilola, who serves as the Senior Special Assistant on Tourism to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, took to Instagram on Thursday to defend her father after reports surfaced that he allegedly brought alcohol onboard a commercial flight, a violation of aviation rules.
Damilola dismissed the claims as false and misleading.
“I don’t know why a reputable agency would lie that water is alcohol. I don’t know when K1 became a magician who turns water into alcohol,” she wrote. “With the same flask, all of a sudden, everyone is pretending as if they don’t know he carries his water in his flask everywhere.”
Supporting her stance, KWAM 1’s spokesperson, Kunle Rasheed, also issued a statement explaining that the flask in question contained only water and not alcohol, as alleged by the flight attendant.
He added that the incident was blown out of proportion and painted the musician in a negative light, when in fact, he was the victim.
According to Rasheed, the situation was later clarified and resolved, with FAAN, NCAA, and top executives of the airline, including the chairman and managing director issuing an apology to the musician.
He further revealed that a private jet was arranged to fly Kwam 1 to Lagos after the misunderstanding, but the artiste declined the offer despite persistent pleas.
In the aftermath, the NCAA announced the suspension of two ValueJet pilots involved in the flight; Captain Oluranti Ogoyi and First Officer Ivan Oloba for their roles in the incident.
