The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) has placed a lifetime flight ban on Comfort Emmanson, a female passenger accused of violently assaulting crew members aboard an Ibom Air flight from Uyo to Lagos on 10 August. The incident began shortly before take-off at Victor Attah International Airport when Ms Emmanson allegedly refused to switch off her mobile phone despite repeated safety instructions. According to Ibom Air, another passenger seated beside her switched off the device, prompting a verbal outburst that escalated into a physical confrontation with the cabin crew.
Upon arrival in Lagos, the airline said Ms Emmanson confronted the purser — the crew member who had earlier instructed her to turn off her phone — and physically attacked her. Eyewitness accounts and circulating videos show her attempting to use a fire extinguisher during the altercation. Some footage also shows her being restrained by airport security and forced into a van, during which her clothes were torn, leaving her upper body inappropriately exposed.
Tunde Moshood, spokesperson for the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, confirmed that Ms Emmanson has been charged to court and remanded at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre. Describing the incident as “one of the most severe cases of unruly behaviour” witnessed this year, AON spokesperson Obiora Okonkwo said the act was not only disruptive but also posed a serious risk to the lives of crew, passengers, and the aircraft. He confirmed that Ms Emmanson will not be allowed to fly with any domestic airline under AON’s membership.
The ban comes amid a rise in unruly passenger incidents within Nigeria’s aviation sector, with recent high-profile cases involving musician Wasiu Ayinde Marshal (KWAM 1) and Senator Adams Oshiomhole on separate flights. AON has also urged the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to bolster Aviation Security (AVSEC) measures at airports to better protect crew and passengers from similar threats.
Source: https://www.premiumtimesng.com/
