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OPINION: Where Are Yoruba’s Soldier Ants?

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By Suyi Ayodele

There was a man called Ofinaboorun. That is a deep Ekiti name. Meanings are lost in interpretations. So, you may not get the real meaning of the name here. But this interpretation should be enough. Ofinaboorun simply means he who spreads across the road like soldier ants. The legend surrounding the old man indicates that Ofinaboorun was not his real name. It was an appellation, which he got because of what he did to protect his community from bandits from a neighbouring community. Here is what he did. Information filtered in that the warring community was about to attack Ofinaboorun’s town. The elders were tired of the ceaseless attacks from their neighbour. They decided to take action this time around. All elders in the town were summoned to a meeting held in the deep of the night. The discussion was in hushed tones. Ofinaboorun volunteered to help out. He told the elders in attendance to tell their quarters not to venture out on the day of the attack; no alarm should also be raised. That was strange; but the council, nevertheless, agreed. The elders knew that elders speak more in their silence than with their mouths.

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The day came. The attacking soldiers came in their huge number. They entered Ofinaboorun’s town without any resistance. The ‘wise’ ones among the bandits knew something was waiting for them. Still water runs deep. A few of them retreated. The foolish ones surged forward; happy that they were not resisted. Then something happened. At a particular spot, there were giant soldier ants across the footpath. The invading soldiers started jumping over the ants. That was exactly what Ofinaboorun needed. As many men that jumped over the giant ants had their spinal cords broken. The pain was excruciating. By the time the bandits realised what was happening, it was too late. Those who were yet to be affected turned back. But they discovered that the ants had also crossed the road behind them. The party scattered. Many entered the bush in different directions. Those who survived went home with tales of woes. It was the last time in history that any attempt was made to attack Ofinaboorun’s town. At the end of the expedition, corpses of the invading bandits were picked in their scores. Another council of elders meeting was summoned. Ofinaboorun was asked why he waited that long before he responded with his supernatural power. He replied to the elders that a child is never scolded for spilling palm oil from the pot, but he is severely beaten the day he mistakenly pours water away. Do we still have such supernatural powers in Yorubaland? I will answer with yet another story.

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A man was once employed as a security guard years ago, in a business premises. He was a hunter; one of the best of his era. Beyond his reputation in the game hunting business, he was equally reputed to be one of the most dexterous Ijala (hunters’ poetry) chanters of his epoch. He was both respected and feared. Now, he had a peculiar way of securing the facilities he was employed to guard. He would come while the business was about to close. When everyone had left the premises, he would secure the place the way he understood, and thereafter would depart to handle his hunting business. Before daybreak, he would have returned to his place of assignment and left when the workers resumed. There was no incident of theft, burglary or armed robbery. Not even the sawdust was stolen. That should satisfy the owner of the business. But that was not to be. The owner was told that his night guard was not sleeping on the premises. He confronted the hunter-guard on this. The hunter’s response was not just haughty, it was a challenge. A gentleman, he simply asked his employer thus: “Why are you bothered about if I sleep here or not? Is anything missing? Or, you want to find out for yourself?”. He thereafter climbed his bicycle and rode off. He did not wait for a response. ‘Rude man’!

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Miffed by the audacity of the hunter, the big man decided to find out for himself. So, one night, the big man left his house and headed for the premises. On getting to the guard house, he only saw a lantern with a dim widget. “So, it is true that this man does not sleep here”, he must have told himself. He decided to have evidence. He went for the lantern, picked it, and turned to leave. That was the last he remembered. He wandered in the premises throughout the night. And it was not a friendly night. The rain from mother earth sent for its sibling in heaven. The big man was beaten silly by the torrents. He was in this position till daybreak. The first set of workers who arrived saw him and knew that something was wrong. They looked around for the guard and they couldn’t find him. An elderly man among them knew what had happened. Emissaries were sent to the hunter’s house. They were told that the man had returned from his guard duty and had gone to his farm. To the farm the emissaries headed. After much pleading, the hunter agreed to follow them. On arrival at the business premises, he simply collected his lantern from the big man, who instantly came back to his senses. He was in a pitiable situation. He begged and doubled the salary of the guard. The hunter would have nothing to do with the job anymore. End of story. Needless to say, here that after the hunter quit that job, thieves made the place their second home! Do we still have such powers?

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, is the spiritual head of the Yoruba race. He sits on the throne of Oduduwa, where he oversees the spiritual affairs of the entire Kaaro Oojire. If nobody else should know, the Ooni should know that there is a siege on the entire Yoruba race. He is worried like everyone else. I am particularly worried, too. Nowhere appears safe in the land. The safest haven should be the palaces in the land, with the occupants of the various thrones the most secured and protected. However, recent developments have shown that even obas are as endangered as an average commoner, if not more. As a matter of fact, most commoners are more fortified than their obas. Obas are kidnapped like commoners and many of them have been felled by the bullets from the smoking guns of bandits and killer-herdsmen. Ooni became worried. Like Ofinaboorun, the Yoruba foremost oba decided that something must be done. Oba Ogunwusi (may the king live long), knows that a day will come when he will meet his predecessors. He knows that those before him would ask him what he did when the race committed into his hands was being depleted by felons. He acted last Friday, March 1, 2024. He called for a meeting, tagged “Yoruba Security Summit”.

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Ooni was unmistakable in his speech at the summit. Looking straight into the eyes of the other obas present, the one whose praise name is Jigbinni bi ate akun; (he who is set like the wares of beads) told the traditional rulers to protect their territories with supernatural powers. Olewa ‘lowo (he who is handsome and rich), did not stop there. Matter-of-factly, he asked that: “Any Oba who is disinterested in Yoruba culture and custom should abdicate his throne for anyone who is deeply versed and interested in Yoruba traditions.” The biggest Yoruba obas were in attendance. The Deji of Akure, Oba Aladetoyinbo Ogunlade Aladelusi, was in attendance. Akarigbo of Remo, Oba Babatunde Adewale Ajayi, and the Ajero of Ijero, Oba Joseph Adewole, were also seated. Ooni’s message was too direct to be ignored. What the Arole Oduduwa did not say is that it is a shame that a Yoruba oba would be slaughtered like a chicken by bandits. I cannot agree less with the Ooni on this matter. The Summit issued a communique after the meeting to wit: “…The Yoruba, especially traditional rulers, should make recourse to their natural resources, including natural powers, to combat banditry and kidnapping… That Yoruba Obas should not jettison traditional values. The security summit calls on Yoruba traditional rulers to return to the pristine Yoruba traditional, spiritual and cultural values. At all times, the traditional rulers should recognize that, in spite of whatever nature of religion they practice, they must recognize that the stool they preside over is traditional.”

For me, the issue of religion is at the crux of the matter. No matter how one feels about it, there is no correlation between our African Traditional Religion (ATR), which is the foundation of every throne, and the new religions (Christianity and Islam). Obas don’t have any business being a pastor or an Imam. No oba is installed in a mosque or a church. There is no place for anointing oil, or Quranic verses in traditional matters. It is a grave abnormality to wear the crown over the cassock. They are two different things. Obas pour libations; pastors and Imams don’t. Obas consult Ifa which is forbidden for church goers. It is either you are an oba in the real sense of it or you are a fire-spitting pastor. The combination of the two strange bedfellows is at the base of the problems. Ogunda ‘Fu (Ogunda Ofun), is one of the principal Odu Ifa (Ifa Corpus). It speaks to what is called: Ogbe m’ohun fo lo’hun (give unto the owner what belongs to him). The Holy Book, speaks of: “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:21). Traditional thrones belong to African tradition. The western world which brought Christianity to Africa recognises this. The British crown their kings, using the ancient throne kept in Edinburgh. They perform rituals; they pour libations. It is an abomination for an oba to remove his cap in any church service. In courts, kings are allowed to wear their caps. It is wrong for any oba, no matter how small his community is, to kneel down before a pastor, priest or imam! The alales are provoked whenever obas gather in a crusade to deride Opele, and call orisas impotent. There is nothing like ‘modernity’ in traditional matters. Ogun will not substitute the blood of a dog for a bottle of anointing oil in the name of Christianity. That would amount to feeding the deity with the forbidden meal, the same way it is wrong to ask a pastor to eat the ram sacrificed to Sango!

FROM THE AUTHOR: OPINION: It Is Finished

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If you ask me, I would say that Ooni’s message should go beyond asking “Any Oba who is disinterested in Yoruba culture and custom should abdicate his throne for anyone who is deeply versed and interested in Yoruba traditions.” No! It should include asking obas who fail to sustain the dignity and sacredness of the thrones and palaces handed over to them to quit! The communities involved should devise the traditional means of getting those ‘modern-day’ obas off the thrones. Each community should find a way of ensuring that nobody ascends the throne without passing through the rigours of traditions. Our case has gotten to that level. Enough of this disgrace! When an Oba is slaughtered like a ram, it is a collective shame on his subjects. The idea of a born-again-oba is an anathema to our culture. This is why it is possible for bullets to penetrate the bodies of our Odidimodes. How do we tell our children the scandalous story of Oloris divorcing our obas? When an Olori packs her bag and baggage and leaves the palace, who marries her thereafter? Who has the audacity to climb such an esoteric woman? How did Orunmila respond when his wife, Oro, engaged in adulterous relationships with Ondararo, Ongoosun and Oluukoolo? Did they live to tell the story? This is our culture; this is our tradition. Enough of bleaching, efulefu obas on the thrones of Oduduwa. We must not only secure our communities, using supernatural powers, our first duty is to preserve the sacredness of our thrones and palaces so that rats can squeak like rats, and birds can warble like birds. When the palace becomes porous, the town is in danger. The “supernatural powers” are there; let us use them!

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PAP Slots To Itsekiri Privilege Not Right, Group Insists

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Warns Itsekiri Youths To Stop Attacks On Otuaro

A Warri-based rights group known as Ijaw People’s Development Initiative (IPDI) has insisted that Itsekiri people were not part of the Presidential Amnesty Programme during the 2009 proclamation hence should take PAP slots given to them as a privilege and not right.

The IPDI in an earlier statement had cautioned on attacks on the Administrator of the PAP by some Itsekiri youths and their allegation of bias and exclusion from the PAP by the current administrator, saying it’s a privilege given to them and not right inasmuch as they (Itsekiri ) distanced themselves from the amnesty programme during its proclamation in 2009.

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Replying to the IPDI, a group – Warri Youth Council, WYC – described the IPDI as faceless and all sorts of names.

But in a shift reaction through a statement, president of the IPDI, Comrade Austin Ozobo said the Itsekiri youths name calling on his organisation was laughable, stressing that the “IPDI is a revered rights advocacy group, known for its proactiveness in the defense of Niger Delta rights against oppression and marginalization over the years.”

READ ALSO:Otuaro Cautions Against Payment Of Money For PAP Scholarship

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Ozobo, while insisting that the Itsekiri people were not part of the PAP arrangements at the initial stage but were only captured with 500 slots after the National Assembly and their daughter who was married to the then National Security Adviser, Gen Owoye Andrew Azazi pleaded to the then administrator of the PAP, Kingsley Kuku, warned them not to “abuse the privilege but be grateful to Dr Otuaro for the additional slots given to them to add to the earlier Five Hundred Slots.”

He said: “We are still maintaining our earlier stand that the itsekiris were not part of the Presidential Amnesty Programme during the proclamation but they were later considered and included into the Amnesty Programme following an appeal by their daughter who was married to the late National Security Adviser, Gen Owoye Andrew Azazi.

“We wish to reiterate that no disarmament and demobilization of the presidential Amnesty programme was held in Koko, Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State, the first, second and third phases of the programme were held in Agbarho and 3 battalions in Delta State.

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“The Itsekiris only submitted a political list of their Five hundred slots given to them by the then administrator of the program, Dr Kingsley KuKu, and that should not in any way be seen as disarmament.

READ ALSO:PAP Conducts Verification For 3,171 Scholarship Beneficiaries, Presents 663 Laptops To Final Year Students

“It is an abrupt and reckless attempt by the Itsekiris to now forcefully be crying for inclusion through blackmail, the Itsekiris, who distanced themselves from the Presidential Amnesty Programme only to have a change of mind after seeing the success of the program do not merit a single slot.

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“We are aware that they wrote several publications to applaud the federal government for disarming the Ijaw people, alleged that the Ijaw killed their people.

“They stated further that Itsekiris were not militants and will not embrace the program, stressing that their youths were enlightened, educated and peaceful but unfortunately the same people are now shamelessly crying for inclusion.

“The Itsekiris can’t eat their cake and have it. They are a people of double standard, they speak with both sides of their mouths. We are not surprised about the new tactics and strategy of these ungrateful lots.

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“It is worthy of note that it was not the National Assembly that compelled the then administrator Dr KuKu to accept the Itsekiris into the amnesty program, their petition failed. The National Assembly after hearing from KuKu saw that the Itsekiri didn’t have a case, the then National Assembly only appealed to President Jonathan and Hon. Kuku on humanitarian grounds for the Itsekiris to be included on the basis of impacted community and 500 places was negotiated for them, case was dismissed,” the statement reads.

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OPINION: Flight Attendants And King Wasiu Ayinde’s Curse

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By Lasisi Olagunju

My literature teacher told me that situational irony is a fire station burning down, or a Babaláwo dying of Mágùn. Some 40 years ago, Fuji musician, Wasiu Ayinde, cursed his enemies in a song that they would challenge a moving vehicle, stand arrogantly in its front and then lose their limbs to the fury of a tipper truck: “Otá mi ‘ò níi yà f’ókò, akóyoyo ní o kan l’ése…” Curses don’t act the same day they are pronounced; they ponder well before they act. Sometimes curses, like defective guns, backfire. Wasiu’s 40-year-old invocation turned on him on Tuesday last week. He shocked himself and the world with his using his own body to block a moving airplane. He was lucky; his inner head assisted the outer to duck from death.

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It is cool that he has begged the pilot and her crew members for forgiveness. He also apologised to his ‘father’ and father of the nation, the president. Even if the expression of regrets was merely for the optics, that the guilty publicly accepted his guilt would mean he won’t be kept kneeling till eternity. But, does the law accept apologies? Should it accept remorse as enough restitution. We will soon know.

American professors of Sociology, Mark Cooney and Scott Phillips tell us in the March 2013 edition of the ‘Sociological Forum’ that apology can be complete and can be incomplete: “A complete apology has several components, including admission of wrongdoing, acceptance of responsibility, expression of remorse, and a promise not to repeat (the wrong). Not all apologies are complete. Some do not admit wrongdoing (‘I am sorry if anybody took offence’). Others are mere expressions of remorse (‘I am sorry you were hurt’).” The complete apology is the one that remembers to add the third leg: ‘I won’t do it again.’ You don’t say sorry today and issue fresh threats tomorrow against your victim.

The plane-stopper should by now know that some fights are not worth one’s life. A medicine required that the ingredients be ground like pepper; our star singer thought it was bravery to make himself one of those ingredients. If he was an Oyo-Yoruba man, he would have heard his elders say “a kì í fi ara ẹni í ṣe oògùn alọ̀kúnná.” I congratulate him on being alive to say and sing sorry.

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In matters of misbehaviour, very many big men and women are ‘Malla’; Wasiu is simply unfortunate because hubris stripped him naked. Flight crew and flight attendants get routinely harassed and insulted, sometimes assaulted by beings who think they are bigger than the rules. A lady I call T did her industrial attachment under me as News Editor of the Nigerian Tribune in 1999. She later graduated from the University of Ibadan and got an air hostess job. Last Friday, she told me that behind air hostesses’ pepsodent/close-up smiles are scars of insults and indignities they suffer at the hands of uncouth passengers. She told the tale of a ‘rich’ lady who asked a flight attendant to come dispose of her baby’s soiled diapers. “The hostess said ‘No. I am a food handler, I cannot use the same hands I use in serving food to dispose of your baby’s poo.’ It became an issue.” From my friend, I heard many stories of “do you know who I am”; the story of an entitled passenger who struck a cabin crew member on the face and was escorted off the aircraft before takeoff. She told the tale of drunk, unruly rich dudes coming home for Christmas from South Africa. “They demanded more alcohol than they should have. We said no and they became unruly.”

MORE FROM THE AUTHOR:OPINION: David Mark, Dele Giwa, Abiola And Other Stories

There should be more of such dramatic stories. I contacted an old university friend who used to work in that system. She told me: “Several years ago, I had a big issue with General Musa Bamaiyi who was NDLEA chairman from 1995 to 1998. He told his boys to come and offload me from the flight. What was my sin? He was carrying a gun and wanted to board and hand it over to the flight crew himself because he said cabin crew did not know how to handle such a weapon. The Captain and the Flight Officer were not on board, so, I could not let him enter with the gun. The rule is: you would need to get the captain’s permission. I told him but, maybe, he felt I was lying. The captain came in and noticed that it looked like the man had come with his trouble again; he asked Bamaiyi’s bodyguards to step off his aircraft, he collected the gun and the General went to have his seat.

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“Then there was an Aviation Minister (name withheld) who threatened to get off the aircraft because I could not find a space for his bags in business class. He came with like 8pcs (eight pieces) of luggage that he wanted to stow in business class. He was the last to board and the aircraft was full. I tried explaining to him that there was no space for his bags. I offered to tag it ‘coco’ (carry on carry off) so he would pick them at the foot of the aircraft. He said no way. I offered that the photo frames in the coatroom be tagged so his bags could go in; he said no. So, I apologised that I had no space for what he had considering that the flight was full. I reported the matter to the captain. The captain said to me ‘if he wants to get off so be it.’ He got off the airplane and called my MD to sack me because, he said, I was rude. I remember a prominent Nigerian from a prominent family (name withheld) was on the flight. The man told me if I got queried and needed a witness, I was free to mention his name. The airline set up a committee to investigate the incident. At the end, they told me to resume flying as I had not done anything wrong. I wasn’t even called before the panel. The committee suggested that the airline should find a way to appease the minister but there was no reason to sack me.

MORE FROM THE AUTHOR:OPINION: Super Falcons’ Lesson For Kwankwaso

“I had another experience where the passenger refused to switch off his phone for takeoff. And he was quite rude and insulting. I reported him to the flight crew who in turn told ATC (Air Traffic Control). I think ATC called NCAA or FAAN who met the man on arrival and took him away, kept him for a while before releasing him and warning him.”

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On those flights, my friend was the purser, the person in charge of the passenger cabin, sometimes the most senior. Some airlines use other terms for purser: Lead crew, cabin manager, head flight attendant, chief flight attendant.

Maltreatment of flight crew and flight attendants is not a monopoly of this place or of this age. In the Fall of 1985, four American researchers did a piece on what they called “aggressive acts directed by passengers against flight attendants aboard commercial planes from 1978 to 1980.” ‘Assaults against Airline Flight Attendants: A Victimisation Study’ is what they entitled their work. They went into media reports and spoke with victims. They found that the assault incidents were “often perpetrated by professional athletes or prominent entertainers…”

The Wall Street Journal of February 27, 1980 carried a report: ‘Skies Aren’t Friendly for Airline People Who Get Assaulted.’ It reported that “more and more flight attendants are being kicked, bitten, pawed, shoved, or slugged by airline passengers these days.” A year earlier (September 19, 1979), a flight attendant lamented to a Dallas Times-Herald reporter in these words: “It used to be that passengers were demanding; now they’re getting mean.” The newspaper reported it under the headline: ‘Verbal Abuse, Assaults against Flight Attendants Increase’.

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On March 12, 2025, the Associated Press, in a report, quoted court records as saying that a passenger on a regional flight to Miami, United States, attacked a flight attendant, kicked and punched the seat of the person in front of him and swallowed rosary beads. An FBI agent’s affidavit filed in a US District Court affirmed that the passenger was traveling with his sister, who said her brother told her before the violent outburst to “close her eyes and pray because Satan’s disciple(s) had followed them onto the plane.” The 31-year-old passenger was jailed on charges including misdemeanor battery, misdemeanor obstruction of police and a felony count of criminal property damage.

MORE FROM THE AUTHOR:OPINION: The Body Of The Yoruba King

There is a newspaper called South China Morning Post. On April 4, 2025, it reported an in-flight conflict between two women passengers sitting next to each other. “One of them complained about the other’s body odour, while the other objected to the strong smell of her fellow passenger’s perfume. A verbal altercation between them soon gave way to a physical confrontation. Two female flight attendants and two male colleagues attempted to intervene and break up the fight.” As the melee ensued, one of the flight attendants shouted out: “Open your mouth. You have bitten me!” The attendant was hospitalised for injuries to her arm.

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United Airlines Flight 976 was a flight from Ministro Pistarini International Airport in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City on October 19–20, 1995. It recorded the most bizzare of all abuse cases so far. According to the airline, during the flight, one Gerard Finneran, a Wall Street investment banker, was refused further alcoholic beverages when the cabin crew determined he was intoxicated. “After they thwarted his attempt to pour himself more, Finneran threatened one flight attendant with violence and attacked another one. He then went into the first-class compartment which was also carrying Portuguese president Mário Soares and Argentinian foreign minister Guido di Tella and their security details. There, he climbed on a service trolley and defecated, using linen napkins to wipe himself, and later tracked and smeared his faeces around the cabin.” History has recorded the incident as “the worst case of air rage ever” with Forbes magazine, in a February 5, 2015 report saying “It’ll be hard to ever top that nasty bit of air rage, at least short of an actual act of terrorism.” The shit man, like the other offenders before him, faced prosecution and suffered punishment.

Gross as that case was, and in all the cases cited in the literature of assaults on airline workers, none shows what Wasiu Ayinde did, using his own body to stop a moving plane. It was an unfortunate way to insert oneself into history books. His Wikipedia page is already blessed with a generous mention of that tragic outing.

I don’t know if the wealthy Wasiu Ayinde has heard the story of a vast forest of beasts where pride trumped the arrogant. The story is courtesy Lakshmi Mitter, Indian author and columnist. In that story here retold by me, Lion maintains his place as the undisputed king of the jungle. But in that same forest lived arrogant Tiger, who thought himself the ULTIMATE in might, stronger than Lion. Tiger strutted about, boasting to the other animals: “Look at me; my teeth are the sharpest; I have strong jaws, my body is agile, I am the most effective of all hunters. Even the so-called king of the forest is no match for me!”

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MORE FROM THE AUTHOR:[OPINION] Buhari: A Tale Of Two Deaths

Wise old Elephant cautioned him and referenced the old song of Sir Shina Peters of the soldier ant that derobed a giant. Elephant warned Tiger: “Do not be so proud. Sometimes, even the smallest creature, armed with wisdom, can defeat the strongest.

But proud Tiger ignored the advice; he even insulted the Elephant calling him clumsy. The wise always know it is pointless counselling a fool; so, ponderous elephant walked away. One day, Tiger strayed into a nearby village and attacked some cows, and had a heavy, enjoyable meal. The surviving cows were distraught. Their leader sought help from an unlikely ally, the Queen bee. She listened carefully and promised to act and help.

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That very night, when Tiger returned for another feast, queen of the bees sent her army into action. Some bees buzzed menacingly around Tiger’s ears while others stung him sharply. Tiger roared, it growled and snarled. In pain, he swiped wildly, but in the darkness he could not see his tiny attackers. Even if he did, what could he do to a whole community of soldiers? Overwhelmed and humiliated, he fled back to the forest.

Subdued Tiger recalled the Elephant’s wise words and became wise. From that day on, Tiger became humble. He never troubled the village cows again and he never bragged about himself as being mightier than the mightiest in the forest.

At the Abuja airport on Tuesday, our celebrated musician played the tiger in the forest; he strutted and roared. He dared the law and insulted the king and his throne. His arrogance blinded him to the reality that in this forest of the skies, there are rules and the pilot is king, his attendants are law enforcement officers. Some whispers of sanity were said into his ears, but the star friend of the president wanted war and was ready for a fight. You don’t have the king as a client and be cowardly (A kìí l’óba, k’á l’ójo). The ultimate songster blocked the aircraft with his full chest, and held up crew and passengers alike.

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But the “bees” were ready: airline staff, aviation authorities, and the ever-buzzing swarm of camera phones. Their unsparing sting was swift, painful and public. They denied Tiger Talazo all opportunities to lie against the truth. By the time the noise died down, the proud tiger of the tarmac had learnt a timeless truth: aircrafts have their own rules, and arrogance has no boarding pass.

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Ibom Air Passenger Emmason: Why Kwam1 Was Not Charged In Court — NCAA

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The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, has clarified that Nigerian Fuji musician Wasiu Ayinde, known as K1 de Ultimate (Kwam 1), was not charged to court by ValueJet, unlike Ibom Air’s action against its passenger, Comfort Emmanson, over alleged unruly behaviour.

The spokesperson of the NCAA, Michael Achimugu, disclosed this in an interview with DAILY POST on Monday.

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His clarification comes as Emmanson, on Monday, was charged in court and remanded in prison, a development that has attracted mixed reactions from Nigerians.

Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in 2023, described Emmanson’s treatment as “double standards.”

READ ALSO:NCAA Seeks K1 De Ultimate’s Arrest, Petitions AGF, IG

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However, Achimugu noted that the NCAA did not sue Kwam 1, nor did it sue Emmanson.

According to NCAA, the airline exercised its right to sue the alleged unruly passenger in court.

There’s nothing to put together here. The Ibom Air passenger was arrested and charged to court by the airline.

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“The airline has exercised its right to sue the unruly passenger in court. So long as that case is in court, the NCAA has no role to play in it. Okay.

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But in the Kwam 1 case, since the airline did not sue or take the passenger to court, the NCAA, which also does not have prosecutorial powers, decided to do the right thing by criminally referring the case to the Attorney General and Inspector General of Police.

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“So if ValueJet had arrested and taken Kwamwan to court that day, the NCAA would not have been involved to the extent that it became involved.

READ ALSO:NCAA Stops Fuji Star K1 De Ultimate From Flying For Six Months

Because they didn’t do that, the NCAA did what it had to do. In this case, the airline, since the incident happened, immediately arrested the lady and sued her in court. So that’s not the NCAA’s fault.

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“We did not sue Kwam 1; we did not sue this lady,” he told DAILY POST.

The NCAA petitioned Kwam 1 to the Attorney General of the Federation and the Inspector General of Police for prosecution over an alleged misconduct incident at a Nigerian airport.

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