Nigerian authorities announced Thursday that they were grounding popular Nigerian singer King Wasiu Ayinde Marshal, better known as KWAM 1, for attempting to prevent a plane from taking off by standing in front of it on the tarmac following an altercation with security personnel.

The singer was scheduled to board a flight from the capital Abuja to the megalopolis of Lagos on Tuesday. He is a popular figure in southwest Nigeria and a leading figure in Fuji music, a form of Yoruba culture.

During the security check, officers told him he could not bring a flask on board, Obiageli Orah, spokesperson for the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), said in a statement.

"The passenger allegedly refused to comply and spilled the contents of the flask, which was alcohol, on the officer," she said.

KWAM 1 positioned itself in front of a ValueJet plane to prevent it from taxiing to the runway after being denied boarding, Nigerian Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo said on X.

Videos widely shared on social media, including by Minister Keyamo himself, show the incident.

The plane started and began to taxi as the singer stood in front.

The minister also announced the suspension of the licenses of the captain and the pilot.

"My preliminary impression is that this was clearly an episode of momentary loss of control and judgment on both sides, which could have led to dramatic consequences," he commented.

A close friend of President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), he has performed on numerous occasions at the party's political rallies, as well as at the inaugural ball held for the inauguration of the head of state in May 2023.