The Nigerian government has impounded an aircraft owned by a United Kingdom company for operating commercial flights into Nigeria as the country battles coronavirus.

Mr Sirika said the company, Flair Aviation, was authorised to conduct humanitarian flights into Nigeria but was caught operating commercial flights without approval, thereby compromising measures being implemented to curb coronavirus.

The minister explained that a maximum penalty would be imposed on the company for the contravention of Nigerian government's ban on commercial flights.

"Flair Aviation, a UK company, was given approval for humanitarian operations but regrettably, we caught them conducting commercial flights," Mr Sirika said in a tweet Sunday.

The government placed a ban on commercial flight operations, both for local and international routes.