The alleged FAAN Official Assault involving a senior Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria employee and personnel of the Nigerian Airforce has triggered outrage within Nigeria’s aviation sector, with the Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP) demanding immediate sanctions and an official apology.
ANAP condemned the incident, which reportedly occurred on May 11, 2026, at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa. The union described the development as another disturbing example of violent behaviour by armed personnel operating within civilian airport environments.
According to the union, the victim of the alleged FAAN Official Assault was Mr. Ekene Enechukwu, Deputy General Manager and Head of Operations Department at the airport.
In a statement signed by Deputy Secretary General of ANAP, Comrade Ocheme Aba, the union said Mr. Enechukwu was responding to an emergency call following a fire incident at the airport when he encountered an Airforce checkpoint close to the airport toll gate.
ANAP alleged that Airforce personnel misinterpreted the urgency of the FAAN official’s movement and physically assaulted him without provocation.
The statement read: “On that date, no less a person than the Head of Operations Department of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) of the airport, Mr. Ekene Enechukwu, was responding to an emergency call based on a fire incidence at that airport when, due to the misreading of his state of hurriedness, an Airforce personnel physically assaulted and bloodied him at the military checkpoint by the toll gate to the airport.”
The union said the FAAN Official Assault left the senior airport official injured and bloodied despite carrying out official duties during an emergency response situation.
FAAN Official Assault Raises Safety Concerns
ANAP expressed concern that incidents involving armed security personnel and civilian aviation workers have continued to occur at airports across Nigeria.
According to the association, repeated appeals and warnings by aviation unions over violent conduct within airport premises have not produced meaningful change.
The union stressed that airports are civilian operational environments that require professionalism, cooperation, and mutual respect among all agencies working within the sector.
ANAP noted that the latest FAAN Official Assault demonstrates the urgent need for improved inter-agency understanding and stricter control measures to prevent abuse of authority by armed personnel stationed at airports.
“This unprovoked brutality is one too many by NAF and other arms-bearing personnel in various airports in Nigeria,” the union stated.
“We have had cause in the past, time without number, to call attention to this kind of terrifying uncivil behaviour in a completely civic environment, but it seems our efforts at doing so have clearly fallen on deaf ears.”
Meanwhile, aviation stakeholders have continued to express concern over the increasing tension between civilian airport workers and security personnel deployed at airport facilities nationwide.
Industry observers believe incidents such as the FAAN Official Assault could negatively affect morale among airport workers and disrupt operational coordination during emergency situations.
The union further disclosed that consultations were ongoing regarding additional measures aimed at preventing similar incidents from recurring at airports across the country.
According to ANAP, stronger accountability mechanisms and clearer engagement protocols between civilian workers and armed personnel are urgently required within the aviation industry.
In addition, the association demanded an unreserved apology from the Nigerian Airforce to both Mr. Enechukwu and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria over the incident.
The union also called for severe disciplinary action against the Airforce personnel allegedly involved in the assault.
ANAP declared: “Enough is enough,” while insisting that aviation workers must be protected from intimidation, harassment, and physical abuse while carrying out official duties.
The FAAN Official Assault has once again drawn attention to concerns surrounding the conduct of armed personnel operating within civilian airport facilities in Nigeria.
Stakeholders believe stronger collaboration among aviation agencies, improved communication procedures, and enhanced conflict resolution mechanisms are necessary to maintain safety and professionalism across the nation’s airports.
