The Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP) has issued a condemnation of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) following the physical assault of a high-ranking airport official at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa.
ANAP warned that this event may trigger industrial consequences.
The incident, which occurred on May 11, 2026, involved Ekene Enechukwu, a Deputy General Manager and the airport’s Head of Operations.
According to a statement signed by Ocheme Aba, ANAP’s Deputy Secretary General, the assault took place while Enechukwu was responding to an urgent emergency call regarding a fire incident at the facility.
Enechukwu was reportedly intercepting the emergency when he reached a military checkpoint near the airport toll gate.
ANAP claims that NAF personnel misread his state, leading to a physical confrontation that left the senior official bloodied and injured.
The association characterized the event as part of a “putrid series” of unprovoked violent encounters between armed personnel and civilian workers at Nigeria’s civil gateways.
“This unprovoked brutality is one too many by NAF and other arms-bearing personnel,” Aba stated.
“We have had cause in the past, time without number, to call attention to this kind of terrifying uncivil behavior in a completely civic environment, but it seems our efforts have clearly fallen on deaf ears.”
Declaring that “enough is enough,” the association is demanding an unreserved apology from the Nigerian Air Force to both Enechukwu and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN). Furthermore, they are calling for severe disciplinary sanctions against the specific personnel involved in the infraction.
The association stated it has become “necessary to commence further steps” and will unfold a strategic agenda following wider consultations with aviation stakeholders to ensure such an assault never recurs.
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