Save for the intervention of Aviation Security (AVSEC) personnel and officials of Ibom Air, a female passenger would have been lynched by other angry passengers after her ‘unruly behaviour’ caused the cancellation of an Uyo-Abuja flight at the Obong Victor Attah International Airport in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, last Wednesday.
This was revealed by the spokesman of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Michael Achimugu, through a post on his X (formerly Twitter) handle on Saturday.
Achimugu said the unnamed female passenger’s action caused 89 other passengers on board to lose their valuable time, money, and opportunities with Ibom Air losing millions of naira in addition to ‘a serious scheduling conundrum’.
He narrated: “On Wednesday, 08/01/2025, an Ibom Air flight scheduled to depart Uyo for Abuja at 1730hrs was viciously disrupted by a single passenger’s unruly behaviour.
“Her actions (captured below by other irate passengers) ensured that 89 other passengers on board lost valuable time, money, and opportunities. She also caused Ibom Air millions of naira plus a serious scheduling conundrum.
“All passengers had been informed during check-in that, due to weight restrictions, some or all of their luggage MAY NOT arrive on the same flight. Passengers with luggage above 20kg signed indemnity forms in this regard, while those whose bags were in the region of 20kg were informed verbally that their bags would arrive on the next scheduled flight. They agreed, including this passenger.
“After boarding, she noticed that her bag was not among the luggage loaded into the bowels of the aircraft. She angrily stepped down from the aircraft and insisted that her bags be loaded. Otherwise, NOBODY was going to fly.
“Even the intervention of FAAN AVSEC and the pilot did not let her budge. The pilot offered to carry her checked in bag in the cabin, but the size did not fit.
“All the while, the pilot was taking note of the time because Uyo was a sunset airport, and the airspace would be shut down any moment.
“AVSEC then explained to the angry passenger that she would have to be deboarded if she refused to travel without the bag. She asked to be allowed to pick her handbag from the cabin, only to get in there and block the aisle, insisting that the flight would not depart without her bags.
“Among the 89 other passengers was an infant and a chef who was travelling to provide paid service to a big client in Abuja.
“Despite all pleas, she held the plane hostage until the airspace was closed. Consequently, the pilot had to announce a cancellation of the flight.
“It was at that moment that other passengers became irate. Had AVSEC and Ibom Air personnel led by Amaka Echetabu not been on top of their game, the unruly passenger would have been lynched.”
Achimugu saluted the timely intervention that saved the woman’s life, noting that the airline had to provide immediate refreshment, transportation for passengers who were resident in Uyo, and hotel accommodation for those who came from out of town at great and avoidable cost.
“This means that the airline would have catered twice for the same flight.
“Added to this was the fact that a scheduling challenge has now been created automatically, one that will take days to normalize. For an industry where profit margins are extremely thin, this was very avoidable,” the NCAA director of public affairs and consumer protection added.
