The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has revealed that its investigation into the incident involving Ms. Comfort Emmanson, an Ibom Air passenger who was stripped at Lagos airport following a heated altercation with a flight attendant, has uncovered new information. The authority plans to release a preliminary report in the coming days.
According to LEADERSHIP, NCAA officials had met with the airline’s crew, including the air hostess, Julie Edwards, but postponed further discussions with Emmanson to gather additional details.
Speaking exclusively to LEADERSHIP, Michael Achimugu, the NCAA’s Director of Public Affairs &
Consumer Protection, said that fresh evidence has surfaced since Emmanson provided a detailed account of the events on the aircraft. “We asked her questions based on information obtained from our meeting with the airline, as well as eyewitness accounts from the terminal before her boarding,” Achimugu explained. “These details had not been made public before.”
Achimugu emphasised that the investigative panel’s role is not judicial but preventive, aimed at understanding the incident entirely to prevent future occurrences. “The young lady was allowed to recount the events so we can compare her testimony with that of the airline and other parties involved. We are still following up with a few more individuals to tie up loose ends,” he added.
Due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, Achimugu said that further disclosures are limited for now. However, he assured the NCAA would soon release a preliminary statement outlining its findings.
“There will not be another meeting with the passenger unless she has more to add. This process is not a court proceeding but an inquiry to forestall similar incidents,” he stressed.
He also revealed that the NCAA is reviewing CCTV footage to clarify some aspects of the case. “Emmanson’s responses have shed more light on the matter. While some questions have been answered, we await full review of the CCTV evidence before concluding the investigation,” Achimugu said.
With the probe advancing rapidly, the NCAA is poised to issue its preliminary findings within a few days.
“There are still a couple 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,” he stated.
Achimugu further stated that for some of the issues raised, the NCAA is waiting to review CCTV footage, saying the authority has answer for some questions.
“We don’t want this happening in our industry anymore. We’ve asked her a lot of those questions repeatedly. Some of the new information has come to light. Because 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.
“And her answers have shed more light on the issue. For some of those issues, we are waiting to review CCTV footage. For the rest of them, we pretty much have our answers ready. We just need to tidy up a few loose ends and then we’ll make a statement. In a matter of days.”
