A female passenger accused of assaulting airline staff on an Ibom Air flight from Uyo to Lagos Comfort Emmanson, has been formally charged and remanded in custody at Kirikiri Correctional Centre, Lagos.
This was confirmed by Tunde Moshood, spokesman to the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, who shared the update on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday. The announcement followed a statement from the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) pledging increased enforcement actions against unruly passengers at Nigerian airports.
Moshood warned the flying public to be more cautious, noting, “The unruly passenger on the Uyo-Lagos Ibom Air flight, Miss Comfort Emmanson, has been charged in court and is now cooling off in Kirikiri.”
The incident, widely circulated on social media, showed Emmanson angrily confronting flight attendants and clashing with airport security officials.
According to Ibom Air, the trouble started before takeoff when Emmanson refused to turn off her mobile phone as required by aviation safety regulations. A fellow passenger seated next to her took the phone and powered it down, which triggered a verbal outburst from Emmanson.
Upon arrival in Lagos, she allegedly assaulted the purser who had earlier asked her to switch off her phone. The airline described her behaviour as a serious safety threat to the crew, other passengers, and the aircraft.
In response, Ibom Air announced a ban on Emmanson, barring her from flying on any of their planes going forward.
