The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority has said popular Fuji musician, Wasiu Ayinde, also known as K1 de Ultimate, will be blacklisted from flying within Nigeria for six months over alleged misconduct at the domestic terminal of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

‎The Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the NCAA, Michael Achimugu, disclosed this on Thursday during a press briefing.

‎“What I must assure the general public is that everybody involved in this will be brought to book.

‎“As we speak, the passenger is going to be blacklisted for the next six months flying in Nigeria,” he said.

Achimugu added that aviation rules are global and made for the safety of all, stressing that no individual would be exempt from accountability.

‎‎“So, we will do everything we can to get to the root of it. Everybody who needs to be punished or sanctioned will receive justice,” he added.

‎He further revealed that the agency was writing to the Attorney General of the Federation and the Inspector General of Police to initiate legal proceedings against the musician.

When asked whether Ayinde would be spared prosecution due to his close ties with President Bola Tinubu, Achimugu said both Tinubu and the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, were committed to upholding the rule of law.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has directed that K1 be placed on a no-fly list pending the outcome of an investigation into the incident.

In a post on his official X account on Thursday, Keyamo said he had reviewed reports and video footage from relevant aviation agencies and concluded that both the musician and the aircraft crew acted in ways that breached safety protocols.

“I have received reports from all the relevant Aviation agencies regarding the altercation between the staff and crew of ValueJet and Kwam 1 at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on Tuesday, August 7, 2025. I have also received video footage of the incident.

“From all the details so far received, my preliminary impression is that it was obviously a case of temporary loss of sanity and control on both sides, which could have led to serious fatalities,” the minister said.

Keyamo added that the action was “akin to a hostage situation,” warning that no one, including celebrities, would be allowed to act with impunity.

He added, “Contrary to what the agents of Kwam 1 has said, he CONSTANTLY moved his position on the tarmac to ACTUALLY BLOCK the aircraft from taxiing to take position on the runway for take-off. This is TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE behaviour. The issue of whether he was carrying water or alcohol is not even in issue at this point.

“It is the physical blockage of the aircraft from taxiing that is the reprehensible conduct here which akin to a hostage situation.”

He also questioned why only the pilot and captain had been sanctioned, stating that “what applies to the goose must also apply to the gander.”

“In the circumstance, I have also directed the NCAA to place KWAM 1 on a no-fly list pending further and full investigation, just like the captain and pilot.

“All airlines, both domestic and international should immediately be informed of this directive and anyone who flouts this directive risk withdrawal of their operating licence,” the statement concluded.

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria had earlier confirmed it was investigating K1 de Ultimate over an alleged violation of aviation security protocols at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

In a statement on Wednesday, FAAN said the incident occurred during boarding procedures for a ValueJet Airlines flight (VK 201) to Lagos on Monday, August 5.

The musician was accused of attempting to carry an unidentified liquid substance onboard despite repeated warnings from aviation security personnel and the flight captain.

FAAN explained that the item in question, a flask, contained liquid beyond the 100ml limit permitted under international aviation security regulations.

Tensions reportedly escalated when the musician refused further screening and spilled the contents of the flask, later confirmed to be alcohol, on a security officer.

However, the musician denied wrongdoing, describing the reports as exaggerated and misleading.

In a statement issued by his media aide, Kunle Rasheed, K1 maintained that the flask contained plain drinking water given to him at the airport lounge and that he made respectful efforts to clarify the matter before it was unnecessarily escalated.

The statement dismissed claims that he blocked the aircraft or threatened safety procedures, insisting the singer remained calm throughout the encounter and never acted in a manner that endangered lives.

It also alleged that senior airport officials and airline executives reached out personally to apologise over the misunderstanding, even offering a private jet to fly him to Lagos at no cost.

“We urge the media and the public to avoid sensationalism and allow the truth — not assumptions — to guide their judgment. K1 remains a law-abiding citizen and continues to cooperate fully with all relevant authorities to ensure that the matter is responsibly resolved,” the statement read.

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The Oloolu masquerade occupies a place of singular reverence in Yoruba cultural life, and nowhere is this more pronounced than in the city of Ibadan, where it is hailed as the father of all masquerades. Its origins, however, lie not in Ibadan itself but in the rugged hill town of Ogbagi-Akoko, present-day Ondo State. In the nineteenth century, when Ibadan stood as a formidable military power in Yorubaland, its warriors waged campaigns across vast territories, and among those who marched to battle was the famed Ayorinde Aje, a fearless fighter who fought alongside legendary Ibadan warlords such as Oderinlo, Ogunmola, Ogbori-Efon, and Ibikunle.

During one of these campaigns, the Ibadan forces came against Ogbagi-Akoko, whose most feared protector was not merely a man but a sacred war masquerade known as Oloolu. This figure was no ordinary festival spirit; in Ogbagi, Oloolu was regarded as a living force of war, feared for its supernatural might and invincibility in battle. Warrior after warrior shrank from confronting it, for none could match its power, until Ayorinde Aje stepped forward. In the clash that followed, Ayorinde subdued the bearer of Oloolu, stripped the masquerade of its sacred regalia, and took the custodian prisoner, a victory that would mark the beginning of Oloolu’s journey into Ibadan’s history.

With the war won, Ayorinde ordered that the sacred costume be carried back to Ibadan. The captured custodian was instructed to accompany it, and his wife was commanded to follow. The woman refused outright, and her defiance enraged Ayorinde, who in a moment of wrath beheaded her. He then ordered that her skull be fixed permanently upon the crown of Oloolu’s attire, a grim act that would seal the masquerade’s most enduring taboo. From that moment, women were forbidden to behold Oloolu in person, for the belief took root that any woman who gazed upon it would suffer grave spiritual consequences, her menstrual cycle disrupted, her health broken, or her life cut short. This prohibition has endured to the present day.

The name Oloolu itself, as preserved in the oral accounts of the Aje family (the hereditary custodians of the masquerade) derives from a warning uttered by the captured custodian when Ayorinde approached the shrine in Ogbagi where the regalia was kept. He cautioned the warrior that “o lu nkan,” meaning “you will put your life in peril,” if he came too close. Ayorinde heeded the warning but nevertheless ordered the regalia taken to Ibadan, along with its bearer and the skull of the executed woman.

When Oloolu first appeared in Ibadan, the city was in the grip of famine, sickness, and unrest. The chiefs and elders sought remedies without success until Ayorinde proposed that Oloolu be used in a ritual to appease the gods. The masquerade was brought out with offerings and sacrifices, and according to tradition, rain fell soon after, the famine eased, and peace returned. From that day, Oloolu was no longer merely a war trophy but a sacred presence in Ibadan’s spiritual life, invoked in times of need and celebrated as a bringer of blessings, fertility, and protection.

The Oloolu festival, held once each year in the month of July, is the single moment when this fearsome figure moves openly through the streets. Its appearance is shrouded in awe and strict ritual law. It is believed that the first person Oloolu sees on his initial outing each year will fall fatally ill unless swift and costly rites are performed. No other masquerade dares to share the streets with him; as preserved in oral accounts, in the reign of Olubadan Dada, an egungun known as Iponri-Iku attempted it and paid with his life after Oloolu challenged him to pick up a cowry imbued with mystical force. The challenger’s backbone snapped instantly, and he died before the day was done. Communities that have confronted Oloolu in defiance, such as the Opopo Yeosa district, are said to have suffered repeated bloodshed thereafter.

Physically, Oloolu’s appearance is unlike any other egungun. The costume forms a towering, elongated pyramid stitched from multicoloured cloth and netting, crowned with the bleached skull of the beheaded woman. The bearer never wears shoes, must abstain from marital relations for a full month before the festival, and, in the days before Oloolu emerges, all women must leave his household. He must not carry a child upon his shoulders during the festival period, nor bear any load upon his head.

As he moves through Ibadan accompanied by the deep, hypnotic rhythm of his drummers, the skull atop his crown sways with every step, a constant reminder of the story that gave birth to the most feared masquerade in the city’s history.

Though dreaded for his power to kill or curse, Oloolu is also revered as a source of good fortune. Those who serve him faithfully speak of children granted to the barren, businesses made prosperous, and lives protected from harm. Yet the respect he commands is inseparable from the fear he inspires, for in Ibadan’s cultural memory, Oloolu is both a divine benefactor and a reminder of the city’s warrior past, a living link to the time when Ibadan’s might was measured not only in the strength of its armies but in the sacred power it could command.

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Brigadier Joshua Dogonyaro was the first to announce the success of the coup which displaced Major General Muhammadu Buhari in a nationwide radio broadcast over the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria. He made the announcement on behalf of the Armed Forces Ruling Council.

Excerpt from his broadcast:

“I, Brigadier Joshua Nimyel Dogonyaro, of the Nigerian Army, address you this morning on behalf of the members of the Armed Forces Ruling Council.

Fellow countrymen, the intervention of the military at the end of 1983 was welcomed by the nation with unprecedented enthusiasm. Nigerians were unified in accepting the intervention and looked forward hopefully to progressive changes for the better. Almost two years later, it has become clear that the fulfillment of expectations is not forthcoming.

Because this generation of Nigerians, and indeed future generations, have no other country but Nigeria, we could not stay passive and watch a small group of individuals misuse power to the detriment of our national aspirations and interest.

No nation can ever achieve meaningful strides in its development where there is an absence of cohesion in the hierarchy of government; where it has become clear that positive action by the policymakers is hindered because, as a body, it lacks a unity of purpose.

It is evident that the nation would be endangered with the risk of continuous misdirection. We are presently confronted with that danger. In such a situation, if action can be taken to arrest further damage, it should and must be taken. This is precisely what we have done.

The Nigerian public has been made to believe that the slow pace of action of the Federal Government headed by Major General Muhammadu Buhari was due to the enormity of the problems left by the last civilian administration.

Although it is true that a lot of problems were left behind by the last civilian government, the real reason, however, for the very slow pace of action is the lack of unanimity of purpose among the ruling body; subsequently, the business of governance has gradually been subjected to ill-motivated power-play considerations. The ruling body, the Supreme Military Council, has, therefore, progressively been made redundant by the actions of a select few members charged with the day-to-day implementation of the SMC’s policies and decisions.

The concept of collective leadership has been substituted by stubborn and ill-advised unilateral actions, thereby destroying the principles upon which the government came to power. Any effort made to advise the leadership met with stubborn resistance and was viewed as a challenge to authority or disloyalty.

Thus, the scene was being set for the systematic elimination of what was termed ‘oppositions’. All the energies of the rulership were directed at this imaginary opposition rather than to effective leadership.

The result of this misdirected effort is now very evident in the country as a whole. The government has started to drift. The economy does not seem to be getting any better as we witness daily increased inflation.

The nation’s meagre resources are once again being wasted on unproductive ventures. Government has distanced itself from the people, and the yearnings and aspirations of the people, as constantly reflected in the media, have been ignored.

This is because a few people have arrogated to themselves the right to make the decisions for the larger part of the ruling body. All these events have shown that the present composition of our country’s leadership cannot, therefore, justify its continued occupation of that position.

Furthermore, the initial objectives and programmes of action which were meant to have been implemented since the ascension to power of the Buhari Administration in January 1984 have been betrayed and discarded. The present state of uncertainty and stagnation cannot be permitted to degenerate into suppression and retrogression.

We feel duty bound to use the resources and means at our disposal to restore hope in the minds of Nigerians and renew aspirations for a better future. We are no prophets of doom for our beloved country, Nigeria. We, therefore, count on everyone’s cooperation and assistance.

I appeal to you, fellow countrymen, particularly my colleagues in arms, to refrain from any act that will lead to unnecessary violence and bloodshed among us. Rest assured that our action is in the interest of the nation and the Armed Forces.

In order to enable a new order to be introduced, the following bodies are dissolved forthwith pending further announcements:

(a) The Supreme Military Council
(b) The Federal Executive Council
(c) The National Council of States.

All seaports and airports are closed; all borders remain closed.

Finally, a dusk-to-dawn curfew is hereby imposed in Lagos and all state capitals until further notice. All local military commanders will ensure the effective maintenance of law and order.

Further announcements will be made in due course.

God bless Nigeria.”

BEHIND THE COUP

The successful execution of the coup was not the work of a few officers. It was a complex operation involving layers of strategic planning, operational command, and tactical execution, backed by wide institutional support across the Nigerian Army.

At its core, the operation was directed by high-ranking officers, while its success depended on broad coordination from middle-level commanders and vital contributions from non-commissioned officers, especially within the Armoured Corps.

Strategic Commanders and Principal Actors (Planning & Oversight)

1. Major General Ibrahim Babangida – Chief of Army Staff (COAS); coup’s principal architect
2. Major General Sani Abacha – GOC, 2nd Mechanised Division, Ibadan
3. Brigadier Joshua Nimyel Dogonyaro – Voice of the coup announcement
4. Colonel Aliyu Mohammed Gusau – Former Director, Defence Intelligence Agency
5. Lt. Col. Halilu Akilu – Director of Military Intelligence
6. Lt. Col. Tanko Ayuba – Commander, Corps of Signals
7. Lt. Col. David Mark – Military Governor, Niger State
8. Lt. Col. John Nanzip Shagaya – Commander, 9th Mechanised Brigade
9. Lt. Col. Chris Abutu Garuba – Commander, 34 Self-Propelled Artillery Brigade, Jos
10. Lt. Col. Raji Alagbe Rasaki – Commanding Officer, Army HQ Garrison and Signals Group, Lagos
11. Colonel Anthony Ukpo – Deputy Director, Defence Intelligence Agency, Lagos
12. Major John Madaki – Commanding Officer, 123 Guards Battalion, Ikeja
13. Major Abdulmumini Aminu – Military Assistant to the COAS
14. Major Lawan Gwadabe – Returned from Fort Knox, reassigned to 245 Recce Battalion
15. Major Abubakar Dangiwa Umar – Armour HQ; later Chairman, Federal Housing Authority
16. Major Mohammed Sambo Dasuki – HQ Corps of Artillery; son of Alhaji Ibrahim Dasuki
17. Major Maxwell Khobe – CO, 245 Recce Battalion, Ikeja
18. Major U.K. Bello – CO, 202 Recce Battalion, Kaduna
19. Major Kefas Happy Bulus – CO, Armour HQ Company, Ikeja
20. Major Sule Ahman – Supply & Transport, Ikeja
21. Major Musa Shehu – Deputy CO, Recce Battalion, Jos
22. Captain Nuhu Umaru – Deputy CO, 202 Recce Battalion, Kaduna

Operational Support: Key Field and Company Grade Officers

1. Lt. Col. Ahmed Daku
2. Lt. Col. Abubakar Dada
3. Major I.B. Aboho
4. Major Friday Ichide – Staff Officer to Col. Dogonyaro
5. Major Simon Hart
6. Captain M. Bashir – Lagos operations
7. Major S.B. Mepaiyeda
8. Captain Victor Scott Kure – Personal security to the COAS

Non-Commissioned Officers of the Armoured Corps (Mobilisation in Lagos)

1. WOII Sule Ayinla
2. WOII Billy Adekunle
3. WOII Army Sweet
4. WOII Yerima
5. Staff Sergeant Bazaria Kabara
6. Sergeant Hitler Bongo
7. Corporal Sule Owoicho

Passive Support and Sympathetic Senior Officers (Non-operational but non-hostile)

1. Brigadier Peter Ademokhai – Director of Army Staff Duties and Plans
2. Brigadier Abdullahi Bagudu Mamman – Director of Army Training and Operations
3. Brigadier Y.Y. Kure – GOC, 82 Division, Enugu
4. Brigadier Ola Oni – GOC, 1st Division, Kaduna
5. Lt. Col. John Inienger – CO, 4th Mechanised Brigade, Benin
6. Lt. Col. Tunji Olurin – CO, 1st Mechanised Brigade, Minna
7. Lt. Col. A. Abubakar – CO, 3rd Mechanised Brigade, Kano

Military Governors Who Encouraged the Coup (Political weight, not operational)

1. Brigadier Garba Duba – Governor, Sokoto State
2. Brigadier I.O.S. Nwachukwu – Governor, Imo State
3. Brigadier Jeremiah Useni – Governor, Bendel State

Buhari & Idiagbon Loyalists

1. Major General Muhammadu Buhari – Commander-in-Chief
2. Major General Tunde Idiagbon – Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters
3. Major General Mohammed Magoro – Minister of Internal Affairs
4. Alhaji Rafindadi – Director-General, Nigerian Security Organisation (NSO)
5. Lt. Col. Sabo Aliyu – Commander, Brigade of Guards
6. Major Mustapha Haruna Jokolo – ADC to the C-in-C

Neutralised Loyalists in Early Hours of the Coup

1. Brigadier Salihu Ibrahim – GOC, 3rd Armoured Division, Jos
2. Unnamed CO, Recce Battalion, Jos

Source: NIGERIA: The Palace Coup of August 27, 1985 — Part I by Nowa Omoigui, MD, MPH, FACC

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