The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has raised concerns that some private jets in Nigeria are being used for illegal activities, including money laundering and drug trafficking.
Keyamo revealed this during an event at the Ministry of Aviation in Abuja on Thursday, June 27, where he inaugurated a Ministerial Taskforce Committee to address illegal charter operations. While he did not specify which airlines were involved, he emphasized that these unlawful practices have caused the aviation sector to lose billions of dollars and have created significant security issues.
The Minister highlighted that certain individuals who have obtained licenses for non-commercial flight operations are violating the terms of their licenses by engaging in these illegal activities.
In his address to the committee members, Keyamo instructed them to conduct a comprehensive inventory of all non-commercial flight operators, scrutinize the validity of professional licenses, and recommend disciplinary actions against any airlines found guilty of illegal activities.
He said
‘’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.
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.”
The task force, consisting of eight members, is chaired by Ado Sanusi, the CEO of Aero Contractors. The committee is tasked with reporting all their findings to the minister within the next three months.
