Public interest lawyer Ayodele Ademiluyi has dragged the Federal Government, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), and 11 others before the Federal High Court in Lagos, demanding ₦500 billion in damages over what he describes as a “blatant violation of the rule of law” in handling two controversial aviation incidents involving Fuji star King Wasiu Ayinde Marshal (popularly known as Kwam 1) and passenger Ms. Comfort Emmanson.

The suit, numbered FHC/L/CS/1632/25, lists the President of Nigeria, the Attorney-General of the Federation, Minister of Aviation Festus Keyamo (SAN), NCAA, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Ibom Air, ValueJet, the Nigerian Correctional Service, Kwam 1, the Nigerian Police Force, the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, the state’s Attorney-General, and the Airline Operators of Nigeria as respondents.

Speaking at a press conference, Ademiluyi, who also serves as convener of the Movement for Justice and Secretary of the Radical Gender Movement, said the legal action aims to enforce accountability and protect public interest in the aviation sector.

According to him, the matter “transcends the personalities involved” and points to systemic rot in Nigeria’s aviation system.

“We cannot allow impunity to reign or degenerate into a banana republic where someone can stop a plane with their bare hands and walk away without consequence,” he said.

Ademiluyi accused authorities of applying a double standard in handling the two cases — alleging that while Emmanson was swiftly sanctioned with a now-withdrawn lifetime flight ban, Kwam 1 faced no arrest, arraignment, or prosecution. Instead, he claimed, the musician was rewarded with a brand ambassadorship in the aviation sector.

He also criticised the Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, alleging that he appeared to act in defense of one of the airlines involved rather than upholding the law.

“This is not about celebrity status or political connections — it’s about the sanctity of the rule of law,” he stressed, adding that the judiciary should use the case to set a precedent that no one is above the law.

Opinion:
Ademiluyi’s case may spark one of the most important conversations in Nigeria’s aviation history — not just about flight safety, but about fairness, accountability, and the dangerous precedent that unchecked celebrity privilege can set. If the allegations are true, the message being sent is troubling: that influence and status can tilt the scales of justice.

The aviation sector thrives on trust — trust that every passenger is treated equally, and that the rules apply to all. If that trust is broken, no amount of PR campaigns or brand ambassadors will restore it. This lawsuit, whether it succeeds or not, may be the wake-up call needed to remind both government and industry players that the rule of law must not be selective.