Ibom Air Passenger Charged to Court, Sent to Kirikiri for Assaulting Flight Crew

An Ibom Air passenger, Comfort Emmanson, has been charged to court and remanded in Kirikiri Maximum Security Prison after assaulting multiple crew members and clashing with airport security on a Uyo–Lagos flight.

The incident, which occurred on Sunday, was confirmed by Mr. Tunde Moshood, spokesperson to the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo.

Moshood disclosed in a statement on X that Emmanson is now “cooling off in Kirikiri” following her court arraignment.

He stated: “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.”

According to Ibom Air, the trouble began before take-off from Uyo when Emmanson refused to switch off her mobile phone despite repeated instructions from the crew. A fellow passenger eventually intervened and switched off the device, prompting an angry verbal outburst from Emmanson.

The statement reads: “This action prompted a verbal tirade from Emmanson. The situation was eventually calmed, and the flight departed as scheduled.

“Upon arrival in Lagos, 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 them 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.

“By this time, the Pilot-in-Command had alerted airport security. Before security could arrive, the purser, as seen in the viral video on the internet, prevented the passenger from leaving the aircraft until security arrived. The arrival of Ibom Air Security personnel did not deter the passenger, as she attacked them as well, lashing out violently at both Ibom Air and FAAN security. She was then restrained and removed from the aircraft by force. Even after disembarking, she continued to assault both Ibom Air and FAAN security staff and even slapped the ground supervisor.

“The passenger was removed from the ramp and taken into custody by FAAN security and handed over to the Nigeria Police Force for further investigation.

“Ibom Air has since submitted a report on the incident to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and placed a travel restriction on Emmanson, who will no longer be permitted to fly on any of our aircraft.”

-VANGUARD