Nigeria’s aviation regulator has asked the country’s anti-corruption agency to help curb financial crimes undermining the civil aviation sector.
Chris Najomo, director general of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to deepen cooperation with it in combating fraud, money laundering, and corruption in the industry, according to an EFCC statement.
Najomo, who led a management team visit to the EFCC headquarters in Abuja on September 2, warned that practices such as the under-reporting of revenues, non remittance of mandatory ticket and cargo charges, and manipulation of ticketing systems were threatening the NCAA’s safety supervision and financial stability.
"Non-remittance weakens the NCAA’s ability to fund safety oversight and operational efficiency and may require the EFCC’s intervention to investigate cases where deliberate withholding, diversion, or misappropriation of these funds is suspected," Najomo said. "Some operators deliberately under-report revenues, manipulate ticketing systems or divert funds, thereby sabotaging the NCAA's ability to regulate effectively."
He added that high-value transactions - including aircraft purchases, leasing deals, foreign maintenance contracts, and procurement of safety infrastructure - remain vulnerable to fraud and money laundering.
He said that continued illegal charter operations disguised as private flights require the EFCC’s financial intelligence to detect and dismantle such schemes. The issue has already received attention from the aviation and aerospace minister, Festus Keyamo, who has already vowed to crack down on illegal private jet operations. Earlier this year, the NCAA grounded ten private jet operators over repeated unsanctioned use of privately-registered aircraft for commercial operations.
EFCC chairman Ola Olukoyede welcomed the collaboration, pledging to assign senior officers to work with the NCAA and finalise a memorandum of understanding on joint investigations and compliance monitoring.
"Aviation is an area where we have seen money laundering, particularly through chartered services," Olukoyede said. He urged the NCAA to boost surveillance of the private wings of airports, describing them as "a hotbed for illicit financial activities", and he assured that the commission would work closely with the regulator on non-remittance cases, illicit financial flows, and fraudulent ticketing systems.
