Crime & SecurityNewsNigeriaIbom Air Passenger Remanded in Kirikiri, Faces Lifetime No-Fly Ban Over ‘Unruly’ Conduct

Comfort Emmanson, the female passenger who assaulted airline crew and security personnel on an Ibom Air flight from Uyo to Lagos, has been charged to court and remanded at the Kirikiri Correctional Facility.

Officials confirmed on Monday that Emmanson was arraigned before a magistrate court in Ogba, Lagos, which ordered her remand until 6 October after she failed to provide adequate sureties.

The incident, described by the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) as “one of the most severe cases of unruly behaviour witnessed this year”, occurred on Sunday, 10 August, aboard flight Q9 303.

Ibom Air reported that the passenger refused to comply with safety instructions to switch off her mobile phone before takeoff. A fellow passenger eventually switched off the device, prompting a verbal outburst.

Upon arrival in Lagos, Emmanson confronted the purser who had earlier instructed her to switch off the phone.

According to the airline, she “physically assaulted the crew member, stepping on her, forcibly removing her wig, removing and throwing her glasses, and hitting her multiple times”. She also attacked another crew member who tried to intervene and attempted to seize a fire extinguisher “with the intention to damage and ground the aircraft”.

The pilot-in-command alerted airport security, but Emmanson also assaulted the personnel, including a ground supervisor, before being forcibly removed from the aircraft and handed over to the Nigeria Police Force by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) security team.

In response, Ibom Air imposed a lifetime travel ban on her, and AON extended the ban across all domestic and international flights operated by its members.

“This was not just disruptive; it was a sustained, violent attack that placed the lives of crew, passengers, and the integrity of the aircraft itself at risk. This behaviour is unacceptable,” said AON spokesperson Obiora Okonkwo.

Tunde Moshood, special adviser on media and communications to the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, posted on X: “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 case has sparked a heated public debate, with lawyer and activist Dele Farotimi highlighting what he called “double standards” in comparison to the handling of veteran Fuji musician Wasiu Ayinde Marshall, also known as K1 De Ultimate.

Marshall allegedly disrupted a ValueJet flight from Abuja on 5 August, pouring liquid on a security officer and blocking the aircraft from departing, but was not remanded.

Farotimi posted on X: “Kwam 1 dey house Kwam 2 dey Kirikiri. It’s just another day in paradise.”

Paul Ibe, spokesman for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, also questioned why Marshall was not “bundled out” like Emmanson, suggesting political favouritism.

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) clarified that it did not charge or ban Emmanson, stating that the airline and AON acted independently.

NCAA’s director of public affairs, Mike Achimugu, noted: “Airline staff are also human beings… Nobody deserves to be beaten up or hit in the manner that occurred in this flight.” He added that while prosecution is ongoing, the parties may still settle out of court.

Meanwhile, Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo condemned the leaking of a video of the incident that showed the passenger in a state of indecent exposure, calling it “totally unacceptable.”

He directed sanctions against the Ibom Air staff responsible and ordered airlines to intensify training in conflict de-escalation.

Keyamo said the ministry would continue to enforce sanctions against unruly passengers, including lengthy flight bans, while working with law enforcement agencies for further action.