…KWAM 1 Appointed Aviation Security Ambassador
A Lagos Magistrate Court in Ogba has discharged Ms Comfort Emmanson, the passenger accused of unruly behaviour on an Ibom Air flight, after the police formally withdrew the five-count charge against her.
During Wednesday’s session, presiding Magistrate Olanrewaju Salami struck out the matter following an application by Police Prosecutor Oluwabunmi Adeitan, who informed the court that the complainant, the airline, and the authorities were “no longer interested in pursuing the matter.”
Mr Salami subsequently granted the request and ordered Emmanson’s discharge.
The court ruling follows a directive from the Federal Government, announced in a press statement by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr Festus Keyamo, SAN.
Mr Keyamo said that after consultations with aviation stakeholders and considering the remorse shown by Ms Emmanson, he had “conferred with Ibom Airline to withdraw the complaint against her today. When the police took her statement in the presence of her lawyer, she exhibited great remorse for her conduct.”
Following the withdrawal, the Commissioner of Police at the Airport Command and the Police Prosecutor were instructed to “immediately take the remaining steps to facilitate her release from Kirikiri Prisons within this week.”
Mr Keyamo also confirmed that he appealed to the leadership of the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) to lift the “lifetime flying ban imposed on her,” to which they agreed. He added that details of the resolution will be made public by the AON subsequently.
In court, Ms Emmanson was granted bail with a surety in the sum of ₦500,000 and two sureties in like sum, but was remanded in Kirikiri Correctional Centre after being unable to meet the conditions.
In the same statement, Mr Keyamo addressed other recent air travel incidents, notably involving Fuji musician Wasiu Ayinde Marshall, popularly known as KWAM 1.
He announced that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) had been directed to reduce KWAM 1’s flight ban to a one-month period and withdraw the criminal complaint previously filed against him.
Moreover, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) will work with KWAM 1 as an ambassador for proper airport security protocols going forward.
The NCAA will also restore the licences of ValueJet pilots Captain Oluranti Ogoyi and First Officer Ivan Oloba after a one-month ban and mandatory professional reappraisal, with further details to be announced.
Mr Keyamo directed that all relevant aviation agencies, alongside complementary government bodies, should “IMMEDIATELY begin a retreat NEXT WEEK to properly retrain and prepare our Aviation security personnel on how to deal with errant and disruptive passengers and how to deescalate potentially explosive situations.”
He confirmed the retreat will be fully covered by the press to allow for transparency. Airlines will also hold separate sessions focusing on the conduct and attitude of their staff toward the travelling public.
Mr Keyamo concluded by stating that the resolutions were made on “COMPASSIONATE grounds,” asserting that the government “will never pander to base sentiments, politically-motivated views or warped legal opinions when clear encroachment of our laws are involved.”
He emphasised that the decisions “send a CLEAR MESSAGE that we take safety and security in the aviation sector very seriously and we have decided to draw a line after these clemencies.”
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