An Ibom Air passenger, Ms. Comfort Emmanson, who was involved in a violent altercation with the airline’s crew on a Uyo–Lagos flight, has been charged to court and remanded in Kirikiri Prison.
Tunde Moshood, Special Assistant on Media and Communications to the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, stated this in a post on X on Monday.
Moshood said there is a need for flight passengers to be careful whenever they are flying.
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He 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.
NCAA Reacts
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) spokesperson, Michael Achimugu, attributed the incident to the passenger’s refusal to follow the crew’s instructions.
Mr Achimugu stressed that compliance is essential when cabin crew instruct passengers to switch off their mobile phones before take-off or landing.
He urged passengers to take such directives seriously, particularly routine safety measures such as turning off mobile devices during critical flight phases.
“I can’t understand why simple routine issues would lead to incidents like this. Passengers need to understand they have responsibilities, not just rights. More details will be addressed tomorrow,” Mr Achimugu wrote in a response to the incident on a tweet on X on Sunday
Ibom Air
Ibom Air confirms that on Sunday, August 10, 2025, an incident occurred on board our Uyo–Lagos flight involving a passenger, Ms. Comfort Emmanson, whose conduct posed a serious threat to the safety of our crew, passengers, and aircraft.
A press release by Ibom Airlines Limited on August 11, 2025 said ‘‘Shortly before take-off from Uyo, Ms. Emmanson was instructed in line with standard aviation safety procedures, to switch off her mobile phone.
‘‘She bluntly refused to comply until the Pilot-in-Command made an announcement, after which a fellow passenger seated beside her took the phone and switched it off. This action prompted a verbal tirade from Ms. Emmanson. The situation was eventually calmed, and the flight departed as scheduled.
‘‘Upon arrival in Lagos, Ms. Emmanson waited for all other passengers to disembark and then proceeded to confront the Purser who had earlier instructed her. She walked up to the unsuspecting Purser, stepped on her, forcibly tore off her wig, removed her glasses and threw it to the floor, and used her footwear to assault her.
”She slapped her several times and when the other 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.
‘‘By this time, the Pilot-in-Command had alerted airport security. Before security could arrive, the Purser as seen on the viral video on the internet, prevented the passenger from leaving the aircraft until security arrived.
‘‘The arrival of Ibom Air Security personnel, did not deter the passenger as she attacked them as well, lashing out violently at the security personnel. She was then restrained and removed from the aircraft by force. Even after disembarking, she continued to assault Ibom Air security personnel, and even slapped the ground supervisor.’’
According to thr release, ‘‘The passenger was removed from the ramp and taken into custody by FAAN security and handed over to the Nigeria Police Force for further investigation.
‘‘Ibom Air has since submitted a report on the incident to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, and placed a travel restriction on Ms. Emmanson, who will no longer be permitted to fly on any of our aircraft.
‘‘Ibom Air reiterates its zero-tolerance policy towards any form of unruly or violent conduct that threatens the safety of passengers, crew, or equipment. Such behavior will be met with the strongest possible response, including legal action and permanent restriction from our services.
‘‘We commend the bravery and professionalism of our crew in handling this situation under extremely challenging circumstances, as well as the swift support from airport security and the Nigeria Police.
‘‘Safety remains our highest priority. We urge all passengers to comply with crew instructions at all times for the safety, security, and comfort of everyone on board.’’
