The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has claimed that certain private aircraft operating in Nigeria are being used for money laundering, drug trafficking, and other illicit activities.
The disclosure was made by Keyamo on Thursday, June 27, at the Abuja Ministry of Aviation during the formation of a Ministerial Taskforce Committee aimed at stopping illicit charter activities in the nation.
Despite not naming the airlines, the minister said that the illicit actions had cost the industry billions of dollars and created serious security issues.
The minister went on to say that some of those engaged in illicit activity had obtained permits for flying non-commercial aircraft but had violated the terms of those licenses.
Speaking to the committee members, Keyamo ordered them to compile a list of all operators of non-commercial flights, look into all professional licenses and verify their legitimacy, and suggest sanctions for airlines found to be culpable.
The eight-member group, led by Ado Sanusi, the CEO of Aero Contractors, was tasked with reporting to the minister on its conclusions within the next three months.
