Nigeria bans unauthorised launching of drones

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority has banned the launching of Remotely Piloted Aircraft in the Nigerian airspace without the permit of the authority and the Office of National Security Adviser.

This is contained in a statement issued by the General Manager, Public Relations, NCAA, Mr. Sam Adurogboye, which was made available to the News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday in Lagos.

The statement said the move was part of the safety guidelines issued by the NCAA to drone operators following the proliferation of the technology in the country.

“In recent times, RPA/UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) are being deployed for commercial and recreational purposes in the country without adequate security clearance.

Money Laundering: How Stella Oduah Stole N3.6b, Shared It Between 8 Companies

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has traced N3.6b in stolen funds to former Minister of Aviation Stella Oduah, according to EFCC sources.

As Minister of Aviation, Ms. Oduah secured several multi-billion naira contracts to upgrade Nigeria’s 22 airports. It was later revealed that much of this money went into the minister’s pockets and that the program’s progress that she touted was grossly overstated. 

Documents made available showed that of the 192 contracts awarded in the second phase of the program, only six were completed.

Ms. Oduah first came under scrutiny after compelling the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority to buy her two bulletproof BMWs valued at N255m.