The passenger who allegedly assaulted airline officials on an Ibom Air flight from Uyo to Lagos has been arraigned in court.
The development was disclosed by Tunde Moshood, Special Adviser on Media and Communications to the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo.
The passenger identified as Comfort Emmanson has been remanded at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre pending further proceedings.
Recall that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) warned that it would intensify enforcement actions at Nigerian airports in response to the growing incidence of unruly passenger behaviour.
Days earlier, a similar incident occurred involving Fuji musician King Wasiu Ayinde Marshal (popularly known as KWAM 1), who recently attempted to prevent a ValueJet aircraft from taking off after being deboarded.
Moshood Tweeted; “The more reason the flying public should be more careful, the unruly passenger on Uyo-Lagos bound Ibom Air, Miss Comfort Emmanson has been charged to court and she’s now cooling off in Kirikiri,”
Trouble started on Sunday, August 10, 2025, on a an Ibom flight from Uyo to Lagos, Emmanson got into argument with a fellow passenger after refusing to switch off her Mobile Phone.
She bluntly refused to comply until the Pilot-in-Command made an announcement, after which a fellow passenger seated beside her took the phone and switched it off. This action prompted a verbal tirade from Ms. Emmanson. The situation was eventually calmed, and the flight departed as scheduled.
Upon arrival in Lagos, Ms. Emmanson waited for all other passengers to disembark and then proceeded to confront the Purser who had earlier instructed her. She walked up to the unsuspecting Purser, stepped on her, forcibly tore off her wig, removed her glasses and threw it to the floor, and used her footwear to assault her. She slapped her several times and when the other cabin crew member tried to intervene, she slapped her too. She then attempted to forcibly remove a fire extinguisher to use as a weapon, an act that could have damaged and grounded the aircraft.
It had to take combined efforts from Flight crew and Security to get her off the plane.
