Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has disclosed that the pilot and crew of a private jet involved in a controversial landing incident in Asaba, Delta State, remain in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) as investigations into what he described as a serious security breach continue.
Speaking during an interview, Keyamo said the Federal Government was treating the incident as a national security matter rather than a routine aviation occurrence, stressing that the DSS had subjected the pilot and crew to extensive questioning since the day of the incident.
“The private jet incident in Asaba, as I speak with you, it was a security breach, and we are treating it as such,” Keyamo said.
“The pilot and crew are still in DSS detention and have been going through vigorous questioning since that day.”
The minister explained that preliminary findings indicated the aircraft had been cleared to land by the control tower at Asaba Airport, dismissing suggestions that the incident resulted from failures in the country’s air navigation system.
According to him, the airport’s control tower cleared the aircraft for landing after confirming its approach.
However, moments later, air traffic controllers reportedly realized that the aircraft was no longer on the airport’s runway or apron.
“The tower in Asaba said, ‘Are you approaching?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘Okay, land.’ Two minutes later, the man looked out from the tower and said, ‘You are not on the runway. Where are you?’” Keyamo recounted.
He alleged that the aircraft landed on a concrete road running parallel to the airport’s runway but outside the airport’s operational area.
“So they landed on a concrete road that runs parallel to the runway, but outside the airport, and they landed there,” he said.
Keyamo further claimed that instead of remaining at the location for aviation accident investigators and regulatory officials to examine the circumstances surrounding the incident, the pilot took off again without authorization.
“When you landed there, you should actually wait for accident investigators, the regulators and everybody to come and look at what you are doing and question you. Guess what? He took off again,” the minister said.
He explained that the development prompted immediate intervention by security agencies.
“It was then I came into the picture. I called the DG DSS. We alerted Lagos, and as they were arriving in Lagos, they were picked up. They are still there. So we are not treating it lightly,” he added.
Responding to questions about the ownership and registration of the aircraft, Keyamo revealed that it was registered in the United States rather than Nigeria.
He noted that the foreign registration allowed the aircraft to operate under a different regulatory framework, including rules governing the age of pilots.
“That aircraft was American-registered,” he said. “The pilot is over 70 years old, and that’s possible because America allows pilots above 65 to continue flying provided they remain medically fit.”
Keyamo contrasted this with Nigerian regulations, which require commercial pilots to retire at 65.
He also disclosed that investigators are examining the identities of the Nigerians behind the aircraft’s operations and the circumstances under which it entered and operated in the country.
“They come under different arrangements and different names. That is what the DSS is unraveling now,” he said.
The minister added that because of the security implications of the incident, the outcome of the investigation would first be submitted to President Bola Tinubu before any public disclosure.
“I think that report will not come out immediately. It will go straight to Mr. President because this is a security breach,” Keyamo said. “That report will go straight to Mr. President first before we can look at it.”
(The Whistler)