The last is yet to be heard about the incident involving Ibom Air and a Passenger, Ms Comfort Emmanson, who allegedly assaulted the airline crew. The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has called on passengers who witnessed the fracas aboard the Ibom Air Uyo, Lagos flight (IAN513) to come forward with their accounts.
This was even as widespread condemnation has trailed the Airline Operators of Nigeria’s (AON) decision to impose a life ban on Ms Emmanson, as the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) slammed the operators’ decision.
However, according to the director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the NCAA, Michael Achimugu, in a post on his X (formerly Twitter) handle, @mikeachimugu01, Achimugu urged verified eyewitnesses to contact him via direct message or email, stressing that gathering multiple perspectives is crucial to ensuring justice and fairness in the probe.
While condemning the unruly behaviour on board, he emphasised that every party involved, passengers, airline staff, and security personnel, must be held accountable where necessary.
He disclosed that NCAA officers in Lagos would meet with police and other security agencies as part of a fact-finding mission.
“This is a test for the system,” Achimugu stated, adding that such incidents highlight operational gaps despite robust regulations. He called for lessons to be learned and improvements to be implemented by all stakeholders.
Reiterating the NCAA’s core principle, he concluded: “In aviation, it is safety first, safety second, and safety third.”
However, Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, has also slammed the AON for imposing a ‘No Fly’ life ban on Ms Emmanson for unruly behaviour.
On Tuesday, Obi said on his X handle that the poor must not be punished while the powerful walk free. This was revealed as it was revealed that Ms Emmanson has been charged in court and subsequently locked up.
He said: “Yesterday, I sincerely apologised to Ibom Air and its crew for the unacceptable conduct of one of their passengers.
’This morning, I woke up to learn that the passenger, the young Ms. Comfort Emmanson in her twenties, has been banned from flying for life, once again showing how our system works, proving the truth of Anacharsis’ words that “the law is like a spider’s web: it catches the weak, while the powerful break through with ease.”
Obi said that everything was systemically wrong and unjust about the decision, describing it as authoritarian.
He said, “What due process was followed overnight leading to this sanction? Have we exhausted the avenues of justice and compassionate resolution on this matter?
”It is a tragic irony that a young lady in her twenties can be banned for life, while we, her parents commit worse crimes against humanity and are celebrated; those in positions of authority perpetrate far greater offences that harm the nation deeply, yet move freely in comfort, shielded from consequences, and in Ms Emmanson’s case, the officers acted with lightning speed, but the same urgency is absent when dealing with the influential and politically connected.
”If this young woman, who indeed acted wrongly, now seeks to apologise, who will hear her cry in a country where the pain of the poor is invisible and the dignity of the less privileged is often disregarded? Justice must be consistent, or it becomes oppression in disguise.
”This must change. Justice must be equal for all. There must be room for compassion, rehabilitation, and understanding when misconduct stems from frustration or displaced aggression. Power must never determine who is punished and who is pardoned. May God heal our land.”
Also, in a statement, NBA President Mazi Afam Osigwe faulted the imposition of a lifetime flight ban on Ms. Emmanson without granting her a fair hearing.
Osigwe described the decision as heavy-handed, unlawful, and a serious affront to the rule of law and human dignity.
The NBA expressed outrage over reports and video evidence showing Ms. Emmanson being forcibly removed from an Ibom Air flight on August 10, 2025, stripped of her clothing in public, and filmed in a humiliating state, with the footage later circulating online.
“Such conduct is degrading, violates her right to dignity and privacy, and falls far short of the standards of civility and professionalism expected in the aviation sector,” the statement read.
The association also alleged that an Ibom Air hostess prevented Ms. Emmanson from disembarking the aircraft, a move it said could constitute false imprisonment and may have provoked the confrontation. It insisted on an independent investigation before any disciplinary measures were taken.
The power to suspend or restrict a passenger’s right to fly rests with the appropriate statutory regulator, not private associations or airline operators acting unilaterally,” Osigwe stated.
The NBA further condemned the incident’s unedited filming and online distribution, calling it “an egregious invasion of privacy and a criminal act.” It demanded the prosecution of those responsible for recording and circulating the footage without concealing Ms. Emmanson’s nudity.
The NBA pledged to offer Ms. Emmanson pro bono legal support to seek redress for the alleged violations.
“We will not remain silent while the fundamental rights of any Nigerian are trampled upon, whether by public authorities, private corporations, or individuals. Respect for human dignity and the rule of law must never be compromised, and in this matter, justice must prevail,” the statement concluded.
Meanwhile, the Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals (ANAP) has called for improved mechanisms that will prevent disruptions of flights at the airports.
The union condemned the unprovoked, unabating, uncivilised behaviours of unruly passengers recently.
ANAP Secretary General, AbdulRasaq Saidu, in a statement titled: ‘Unruly passengers’ saga, a case for protection of aviation workers against violent passenger behaviours’ called for actions from airlines, airports and regulatory authorities to curb and contain such incidents.
It called on the NCAA to review its existing protocols on violent passenger behaviour.
“We invite the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority to urgently review existing protocols on violent passenger behaviour and reinvigorate enforcement methods at the aerodromes, especially about protecting aviation workers from criminal harm makers in the form of unwanted unruly passengers,” Saidu said.
The union of airport workers noted that the August 5, 2025 incident at the tarmac of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, involving Wasiu Ayinde (aka Kwam1) and ValueJet (a Nigerian airline) remains a news headliner, while another incident on August 10, 2025, involving a certain Ms Comfort Emmanson, who travelled on Ibom Air from Uyo to Lagos, remained a source of concern.
According to ANAP, all the narratives so far concerning the incidents have focused on the unbecoming and unlawful behaviour (of Kwam 1 and Ms Emmanson), professional conduct (of pilots and aviation security personnel), as well as security implications of the incidents for passengers, aircraft and aerodromes.
“Unfortunately, an essential aspect of the incidents has somehow escaped the attention of analysts, stakeholders and the public: the often neglected, but worrisome danger and risks aviation workers face during their daily duties.
The reports and video footage in both incidents show clearly the physical and psychological assault and trauma inflicted on both ground staff and air crews”
It posited that in the meantime, airlines and the airport authorities should adequately provide medical attention and financial compensation for the ground and air staff who have suffered any form of harm arising from these incidents.
According to the union, this will demonstrate their duty of care towards their employees.
“It is essential to warn the travelling public that such indecent behaviour is highly unwelcome in aviation.
And we call on the airlines, airports and regulatory authorities to apply maximum sanctions, including legal prosecution, to act as a deterrent”
ANAP assured all aviation workers of its readiness and capability to stand up for everyone and urged them to regard ANAP as home and call for help at any time of distress.
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