A female passenger, Comfort Emmanson, who assaulted Ibom Air crew members and clashed with airport security at Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed Airport, has been charged to court and remanded at Kirikiri Maximum Security Prison.
The development was confirmed by Mr. Tunde Moshood, spokesperson to the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo, in a post on X. Moshood wrote: “The more reason the flying public should be more careful, the unruly passenger on Uyo-Lagos bound Ibom Air, Miss Comfort Emmanson has been charged to court and she’s now cooling off in Kirikiri.”
The incident occurred on Sunday aboard an Ibom Air flight from Uyo to Lagos. According to the airline, trouble began shortly before take-off when Emmanson refused to switch off her mobile phone despite repeated instructions. She only complied after the pilot-in-command made an announcement and a fellow passenger seated beside her took the phone and turned it off.
Ibom Air said the passenger then launched into a verbal tirade. The flight departed on schedule, but upon arrival in Lagos, Emmanson waited for other passengers to disembark before confronting the purser who had earlier instructed her.
In a statement, the airline detailed her actions: “She walked up to the unsuspecting purser, stepped on her, forcibly tore off her wig, removed her glasses and threw them to the floor, and used her footwear to assault her. She slapped her several times, and when another cabin crew member tried to intervene, she slapped her too. She then attempted to forcibly remove a fire extinguisher to use as a weapon, an act that could have damaged and grounded the aircraft.”
The airline said the pilot had already alerted airport security. In viral footage from the incident, the purser was seen preventing Emmanson from leaving the aircraft until security arrived. Even with the arrival of Ibom Air and Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) security personnel, the passenger continued to lash out violently, attacking them as well.
“She was then restrained and removed from the aircraft by force. Even after disembarking, she continued to assault both Ibom Air and FAAN security staff and even slapped the ground supervisor,” the airline said.
Ibom Air has since reported the matter to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and imposed a travel ban on Emmanson, barring her from flying on any of its aircraft in the future.
Emmanson was taken into custody by FAAN security, handed over to the Nigeria Police Force for investigation, and subsequently charged to court.
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