Lagos court discharges Ibom Air passenger accused of unruly conduct

An Ikeja Magistrate’s Court sitting in Ogba, Lagos, on Wednesday cleared Ms. Comfort Emmanson of all charges related to an alleged altercation with a crew member aboard an Ibom Air flight, after the Federal Government formally withdrew its criminal complaint.

Magistrate Olanrewaju Salami struck out the five-count charge, which accused Emmanson of disrupting peace, assaulting a crew member, and acting in a manner likely to breach public order, following an application by Police Prosecutor Oluwabunmi Adeitan, who said both the complainant and the airline no longer wished to pursue the matter.

The move followed an earlier announcement by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, that the case had been dropped on compassionate grounds after consultations with aviation stakeholders and appeals from concerned Nigerians.

Emmanson, who was remanded in Kirikiri Prison after the August 10 incident and had pleaded not guilty, reportedly showed remorse during police questioning in the presence of her lawyer. Keyamo disclosed that Ibom Air had agreed to withdraw its complaint and that steps had been taken to lift the lifetime flight ban imposed on her by the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON).

In the same statement, the minister revealed that the indefinite flight ban placed on Fuji musician Wasiu Ayinde Marshall (KWAM 1) over a separate incident with ValueJet staff had been reduced to one month, with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) set to drop its criminal complaint against him.

Keyamo also directed aviation and security agencies to undergo retraining next week on managing disruptive passengers and de-escalating conflicts, while airlines will receive targeted training on improving staff conduct toward travellers.

While emphasising that the decisions were taken out of compassion, the minister warned: “Safety and security in the aviation sector are non-negotiable.”