The Federal Government has taken decisive action to curb repeated airspace violations by foreign aircraft operating without proper clearance in Nigeria’s sovereign airspace.
This was revealed during a high-level inter-agency meeting convened by the Ministry of Defence on Tuesday in Abuja. The meeting was chaired by the Ministers of Defence, Mohammed Badaru and Dr. Bello Matawalle, alongside the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo.
According to a statement by the Minister of State for Defence’s media aide, Ahmad Dan-Wudil, the meeting was attended by top officials, including the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence, Ambassador Gabriel Aduda, and representatives from the National Security Adviser’s office, Nigerian Customs, Police, and intelligence agencies.
“Also in attendance were representatives from the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA),” Dan-Wudil said.
He added, “The focus of today’s meeting was the persistent pattern of unauthorized and often uncoordinated incursions into Nigerian airspace by foreign-operated aircraft and rotorcraft platforms—an act deemed a serious violation of national sovereignty and aviation safety.”
The ministers emphasized the Federal Government’s commitment to defending Nigeria’s territorial integrity through enhanced air defence systems and collaboration between defence and aviation sectors.
Dan-Wudil concluded that President Bola Tinubu’s administration remains “committed and unrelenting in the defence of Nigeria’s sovereign airspace.”