Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has reacted to the crash-landing of an Enugu Air aircraft at Benin Airport in Edo State.

In a post shared on social media on Friday, Keyamo said he had directed all relevant agencies to work closely with Enugu Air to unravel the cause of the incident.

It would be recalled that the aircraft crash-landed at Benin City Airport on Thursday, following which Air Peace suspended all its flights to and from the airport after its runway was temporarily shut down due to a runway incursion.

Reacting to the development, Keyamo explained that he had been duly informed that the Enugu Air aircraft skidded off the runway after landing successfully, a situation referred to in aviation terminology as a “runway excursion.”

He added that everyone on board was safe, and that he had directed all relevant agencies to work closely with Enugu Air to determine the cause of the incident.

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A United States Congressman, John James, has renewed calls for the release of the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu.

James made the appeal on the floor of the House of Representatives on Thursday, linking the IPOB leader’s continued detention to what he described as a pattern of religious persecution against Christians in Nigeria.

The Michigan lawmaker was referencing H.Res. 1321, a resolution he introduced on May 22, 2026, which calls on the Nigerian government to ensure that all legal proceedings involving Kanu comply with the country’s constitutional obligations and international human rights commitments.

The resolution remains before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Speaking at the podium, James described Nigeria as the deadliest place on Earth to be a Christian, alleging that tens of thousands of Christians have been k!lled since 2019 as part of a sustained pattern of religiously motivated violence by Islamist jihadists which he said the Nigerian government had ignored or enabled.

He added that extremist groups, including Boko Haram, operate without any meaningful response from Nigerian authorities.

Turning to Kanu’s case, James described the IPOB leader as a courageous figure convicted in what he called a farce show trial for speaking out against the k!llings.

He argued that Kanu, who is serving a life sentence on t3rrorism charges he characterised as false, deserves either a fresh, constitutionally compliant trial or unconditional freedom.

He urged his colleagues to support his bill, calling on the Nigerian government to either conduct a fresh trial in line with its own constitution with proper regard for evidence.

Access to legal counsel, medical care and international standards on humane detention conditions or, better still, release Nnamdi Kanu immediately and unconditionally.

He further warned that continued US financial support for Nigeria could not go unchallenged, arguing that America gives billions of dollars to Nigeria and would not continue funding what he termed a Christian genocide, adding that the US had a moral obligation to ensure Christians in Nigeria could worship freely.

Kanu was sentenced to life imprisonment on November 20, 2025, by a Federal High Court in Abuja presided over by Justice James Omotosho, following his conviction on t3rrorism charges.

He is currently held at the Correctional Centre in Kuje, Abuja, following his 2021 arrest in Nairobi, Kenya, and subsequent transfer to Nigeria.

The resolution James is championing cites a July 20, 2022, opinion by the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which found that Kanu’s detention violated international human rights obligations and recommended his release along with appropriate remedies.

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No fewer than 68 passengers and crew members escaped unhurt on Thursday after an Enugu Air aircraft veered off the runway while landing at Benin Airport in Edo State, triggering an investigation by the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB).Geographic Reference

The aircraft, an Embraer E170 with registration number 5N-ENR, was operating as Flight 4264 from Enugu with a scheduled onward service to Lagos when it overran the end of Runway 05 at about 3.10pm before coming to a stop in a grassy area beyond the paved surface.

Emergency responders were immediately deployed to the scene, while all passengers and crew safely disembarked from the aircraft.

There were no reported injuries or fatalities.

In a public notice issued shortly after the incident, Enugu Air confirmed that one of its aircraft operating into Benin had experienced a runway excursion after landing.

The airline said the aircraft had been secured and the relevant aviation authorities notified in line with established procedures, adding that an assessment of the aircraft and the circumstances surrounding the occurrence was underway.

“As a result, there may be temporary adjustments to some flight schedules. Passengers affected by any changes will be contacted directly and provided with the necessary assistance,” the airline said.

It added that the safety of its passengers, crew and operations remained its highest priority and promised to provide further updates through its official communication channels.

The NSIB confirmed it had launched an investigation into the runway excursion, saying investigators would examine the circumstances that led to the aircraft leaving the runway after landing.

Although Enugu Air did not disclose the extent of damage to the aircraft, photographs circulating online from the scene show the aircraft sustained significant visible damage after coming to rest off the runway. The extent of the damage has yet to be officially assessed by investigators.

Runway excursions are among the most common commercial aviation incidents worldwide and can result from a range of factors, including weather conditions, runway surface conditions, aircraft performance or operational issues.

The exact cause of Thursday’s occurrence has not been established and will be determined by the ongoing investigation.

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