Passenger who assaulted Ibom Air hostess remanded in Kirikiri

Comfort Emmanson, the passenger accused of assaulting airline officials aboard an Ibom Air flight from Uyo to Lagos, has been charged in court and remanded in 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.

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His statement comes amid warnings by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority that stricter enforcement actions will be taken against passengers engaging in disruptive conduct, which has been on the rise in Nigerian airports.

ValidViewNetwork reports that Emmanson, who was on board the Uyo to Lagos flight, had in a viral video repeatedly slapped a Purser with Ibom Aircraft after she was allegedly told to switch off her phone before take-off.

The airline, in a statement on Monday, banned the passenger from flying with its airline after she was found assaulting one of the crew members of their aircraft.

Ibom Air said the incident began before take-off from Uyo when Emmanson refused to comply with safety procedures requiring passengers to switch off their mobile phones.

According to the airline, a fellow passenger seated beside her switched off the phone, sparking a verbal tirade.

The carrier said that upon arrival in Lagos, Emmanson confronted the purser, who had earlier instructed her to switch off her phone and physically assaulted her.

It also maintained that the passenger attempted to forcibly remove a fire extinguisher to use as a weapon, an act they described as “an intention to damage and ground the aircraft”.

Ibom Air added that her behaviour posed a serious threat to the safety of its crew, passengers, and aircraft.

The development follows a similar recent incident involving Fuji musician, King Wasiu Ayinde Marshal, also known as KWAM 1 or K1, who attempted to stop a ValueJet aircraft from taking off after being deboarded.