The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), on Thursday, said new information has emerged after interrogating Ms Comfort Emmanson, a passenger of Ibom Air flight from Uyo to Lagos, engaged in a fight wit Ibom Air cabin crew members after a heated altercation with the airline’s air hostess.
LEADERSHIP reports that on Wednesday, the NCAA team had met with the Air hostess, Julie Edwards, and other members of the crew involved in the Lagos Aiprort incident, but deferred meeting with Ms Emmanson till tis Thursday over her absence.
Speaking exclusively to LEADERSHIP, the director of Public Affairs & Consumer Protection at NCAA, Michael Achimugu, said Ms Emmanson gave a detailed account of what transpired during the flight and at Lagos Airport after landing.
“Some of the new information has come to light, we asked her some questions based on the information we got from our meeting with the airline yesterday. Information that was not previously available to the public.
“And then from some of the eyewitnesses to those situations. Not from the aircraft, but even from the terminal before she boarded her flight and so on. We asked questions about those incident occurrences,” Achimugu stated.
The NCAA spokesman said the investigative panel wasn’t a court of law but rather an investigative panel over the incident in order to forestall reoccurrence.
“This young lady was given an opportunity to give an account of the events that happened that day, so we can also marry that with what the airline has said, presented as well, and what other actors involved in the fiasco have also said.
“There are still a couple of more persons as we are tying up all the loose ends. Until then, we might not be able to reveal much of what has been said because of the pre-empting, compromising investigations.”
“So, you just give it a little time, give it a few days. We’ll come up with a preliminary statement on our findings so far. With the young lady, except there’s something else she would like to add to her statement.
“There will not be another meeting. You guys also remember that this isn’t the court. We are not taking her to court. The reason for this investigation is to understand the events that happened, with a view to forestalling and preventing this kind of event in the future,” Achimugu stated.
