The airline, in a statement on Monday, announced it had banned her from flying with its services following the incident.
By Ife Osemedua
365Daily – A passenger accused of assaulting airline officials aboard an Ibom Air flight from Uyo to Lagos, Comfort Emmanson, has been charged to court and remanded at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre in Lagos.
Tunde Moshood, Special Adviser on Media and Communications to the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, confirmed the development in a post on his official X handle on Monday.
“The more reason the flying public should be more careful — the unruly passenger on the Uyo–Lagos bound Ibom Air, Miss Comfort Emmanson, has been charged to court and she’s now cooling off in Kirikiri,” Moshood wrote.
His statement comes amid fresh warnings by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) that stricter enforcement measures will be taken against passengers engaging in disruptive conduct, which has been on the rise in Nigerian airports.
In a viral video, Emmanson was seen repeatedly slapping a Purser aboard the Ibom Air flight after she was allegedly told to switch off her phone before take-off. The airline, in a statement on Monday, announced it had banned her from flying with its services following the incident.
According to Ibom Air, the altercation began before departure from Uyo when Emmanson refused to comply with safety instructions requiring passengers to switch off their mobile phones. A fellow passenger seated beside her eventually switched off the device, triggering a verbal outburst.
The airline said that upon arrival in Lagos, Emmanson confronted the Purser who had earlier instructed her to switch off her phone and physically assaulted her. She allegedly attempted to forcibly remove a fire extinguisher to use as a weapon — an act the airline described as “an intention to damage and ground the aircraft.”
Ibom Air stressed that her behaviour posed a serious threat to the safety of the crew, passengers, and the aircraft itself.
The development follows a similar recent incident involving Fuji musician, King Wasiu Ayinde Marshal, popularly known as KWAM 1 or K1, who was accused of attempting to stop a ValueJet aircraft from taking off after being deboarded.