Airport Incident: Keyamo Releases CCTV Footage, Threatens FAAN Action Unless Obi Apologises, Pays Fine
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has released CCTV footage relating to Peter Obi’s claim that the tyres of his vehicle were clamped at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, a few days ago.
In a statement on Friday, Keyamo threatened that the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) would take action against Obi if he failed to apologise publicly to airport workers and return to the airport to pay the mandatory ₦25,000 fine for wrongful parking within one week.
“As the Minister of Aviation, I felt a moral duty to investigate and authenticate the claim made by opposition candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, a few days ago that the tyres of his car were ‘unjustly’ clamped at the airport, suggesting a ‘persecution agenda’ against him by the Federal Government,” he stated. “Politics aside, every Nigerian is entitled to fair treatment under the law.”
The Minister noted that following Obi’s claim, he instituted an internal inquiry into the matter, adding that the entire Abuja airport is covered by CCTV cameras operating in real time, 24 hours a day.
“But apparently, this fact was unknown to Mr. Peter Obi. Otherwise, perhaps he would have been more circumspect before rushing to the media to cry ‘persecution’,” he said.
Keyamo highlighted what he described as facts from the CCTV recordings, noting that on July 4, 2026, Obi arrived at the domestic wing of the Abuja airport at exactly 20:28, driven by a police officer. He said that Obi alighted with two other occupants and entered the terminal building.
He disclosed that the police officer then parked the vehicle, almost blocking the entrance, before leaving it unattended and entering the terminal building.
According to him, airport regulations require a driver to remain behind the wheel of a vehicle in the drop-off zone for it to be allowed to remain there temporarily.
“Still the vehicle’s tyres were not clamped,” he noted, revealing that the police officer returned to the vehicle at about 20:32, collected something from it, and went back into the terminal building, leaving the vehicle unattended once again.
“At this point, the dutiful airport security staff came over and clamped the tyres of the car. In doing this, contrary to the claims by Peter Obi, nobody was inside the car and so nobody knew whether it was his car (not that it should matter, anyway),” he added.
The Minister also disclosed that when the police officer returned and discovered that the tyres had been clamped, he was directed to an office.
“He was directed to an office and upon getting there, he called Mr. Peter Obi on his phone and gave the phone to the manager. Mr. Peter Obi then introduced himself, spoke with the manager, peddled his ‘influence’ and requested for the release of the vehicle. His vehicle was then released without him paying the necessary fine,” he stated.
Keyamo noted that the vehicle remained parked unattended in the prohibited zone for about 30 minutes, explaining that this constituted a security risk in line with global airport security best practices.
He described the incident as a clear case of an opposition candidate trying to whip up unnecessary sentiments over what he described as a violation committed by Obi and his driver.
“The excuse which Mr. Peter Obi gave that there were other offenders too on that day (which is completely false) cannot be an excuse for an individual aspiring to be President of Nigeria,” he argued, insisting that Obi must live above board.
The Minister asserted that the matter had not even been mentioned by the airport authorities and had already been put to rest.
He alleged that Obi, determined to exploit the situation for political gain, decided to go on air to promote what he described as a false narrative.
Keyamo further argued that Obi should face the consequences of his actions, stressing that he attached the CCTV footage to his statement to show the public what transpired.
Consequently, he outlined what he described as his demands on Obi, saying they were consistent with the principle of equality before the law.
He urged Obi to tender an unreserved public apology to the hardworking airport workers who, according to him, were merely carrying out their duties and whom Obi sought to portray as his “persecutors.”
The Minister also asked Obi to voluntarily return to the airport and pay the appropriate ₦25,000 fine for wrongful parking, alleging that he had used “influence peddling” to secure the release of the vehicle without paying the penalty. He maintained that the opposition presidential candidate could not be bigger than the law.
“If these demands are not met within one week, I will be giving the necessary directives to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to take the next steps against him,” he added.
