NCAA backs Ibom Air over passenger ban, says case differs from KWAM 1 Incident

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has defended Ibom Air’s decision to ban Comfort Emmanson, the passenger accused of assaulting its crew, insisting the case is not comparable to that of Fuji star Wasiu Ayinde, popularly known as KWAM 1.

Recall that on August 10, during a flight from Uyo to Lagos, Emmanson allegedly refused to switch off her phone as instructed by the cabin crew, a standard aviation safety rule.

The situation escalated when another passenger reportedly turned off the device, prompting an angry outburst from her.

Ibom Air accused of attacking a crew member and attempting to use a fire extinguisher as a weapon, actions the airline described as potentially endangering the aircraft.

The airline banned her indefinitely, while the Airline Operators of Nigeria placed her on a lifetime no-fly list.

She was subsequently arrested by airport security, handed to the police, charged to court, and remanded in prison.

NCAA’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Mike Achimugu, speaking during an X Space session on Monday, stressed that the regulatory body neither ordered the airline to prosecute Emmanson nor imposed the lifetime travel restriction. According to him, Ibom Air acted independently, relying on evidence already available.

“In this case, the airline exercised its right to act based on what it had,” Achimugu explained. “When you see a passenger hitting a cabin crew member and fighting off those trying to restrain her, you may have to agree the airline was within its rights to announce a ban. At the end of investigations, the ban could be shortened or lifted, but for now, if the airline believes it is the right thing, so be it.”

He emphasised that airline employees are “human beings and fellow Nigerians” who deserve the same courtesy passengers expect, adding: “Nobody deserves to be beaten up in the manner that occurred on this flight.”

Citing past incidents where lack of evidence hindered action, Achimugu referenced a case involving three drunk passengers on a London–Nigeria flight. “Air Peace still feels aggrieved that no advisory was issued to blacklist those passengers because no video evidence was provided to the NCAA,” he noted.

The NCAA spokesman also highlighted that, unlike ValueJet in the KWAM 1 case — where no charges were filed — Ibom Air promptly took Emmanson to court, while the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) moved to impose its own sanction.

According to Achimugu, cabin crew have authority over passenger safety and may use non-physical methods to restrain unruly individuals. “Blocking the path of someone who has assaulted you is a form of restraint and can be within their rights,” he said, while adding that standard practices can evolve.

Meanwhile, the incident has drawn sharp criticism from civil society. The Network for the Actualisation of Social Growth and Viable Development (NEFGAD) on Monday called for an independent probe into Ibom Air’s handling of the case, accusing the airline and authorities of treating Emmanson “unfairly, unjustly, and unacceptably.”

In a statement signed by its Head of Office, Omoniyi Akingunola, the group offered Emmanson free legal representation and demanded the release of the in-flight video footage. It argued that the viral clips showing the passenger’s altercation with crew and security only capture events after the plane landed in Lagos from Uyo.

“It is wrong to judge the matter based solely on footage from outside the aircraft. Something happened onboard that provoked her reaction. Preventing her from disembarking may have been a deliberate attempt to escalate matters,” Akingunola said, questioning how a forcibly detained passenger could be expected to remain calm.

He also criticised the police for “rushing to court without proper fact-finding” and warned that cabin crew should not take on the role of law enforcement, especially if it results in physical confrontation.

Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, Peter Obi, had also on Monday, condemned what he described as double standards in Nigeria’s justice system following the recent Ibom Air incident involving Miss Emmanson.

In a statement on X, Obi apologised to the Ibom Air crew allegedly assaulted by Emmanson but criticised what he called the “dehumanising” treatment meted out to her by security operatives.

He alleged that the young woman was stripped publicly, arraigned in court, and remanded, while another passenger accused of delaying a flight and endangering hundreds of lives has not been arrested or prosecuted.

“This case is not just about one young woman; it is about the double standards that poison our justice system,” Obi said. “Justice in Nigeria must never be about who is poor or powerless versus who has influence or access to government officials.”

Obi argued that selective enforcement of the law, particularly against women and the less privileged, undermines the rule of law and erodes public trust. He said the disparity between the handling of Emmanson’s case and that of the other offender mirrors a broader culture where politically connected individuals escape accountability for more severe offences.

He called on the Minister of Aviation and other authorities to explain the disparity and ensure equal application of justice.

It reads, “The unfortunate and dishonourable drama witnessed in Ibom Air has again brought to the fore the double standards in our lives and the inadequacies of our various security operatives in acting decently and in a civilised manner. I want to start by sincerely apologising to the Ibom Air crew who were assaulted by Miss Comfort Emmanson.

“We must, as a society, learn and uphold good conduct, as it is a true measure of success and decent living. However, I must equally strongly condemn the dehumanising treatment meted out to this young woman. Stripping her publicly was not only unnecessary but also represents the height of rascality and abuse by our agencies. It is unacceptable that she was hurriedly taken to court and remanded, while someone who visibly held a plane from taking off and put hundreds of lives at risk is still at large, with government agencies and some state officials speaking up for him to be forgiven.

“This case is not just about one young woman, it is about the double standards that poison our justice system. Justice in Nigeria must never be about who is poor or powerless versus who has influence or access to government officials. While Ms. Comfort Emmanson is in jail, the other offender who committed a more severe offence has not been held to the same standard.

“He has neither been arrested nor arraigned in any court. We must build a country where justice is fair, equal, and not selective, especially against women who are seen to be weaker. This young lady’s offence does not compare to the crimes committed daily by those parading themselves as “excellencies” while looting public funds without consequence, and yet they have not been stripped or dehumanised in the name of justice.

“We must end this selective treatment of the poor or less privileged. If justice must be served, it should be served to all, and it must be served fairly. The Minister of Aviation and other relevant authorities owe the public an explanation for these double standards in their adjudication. Justice must be just, or it is nothing at all. The rule of law based on justice for all must remain the guidepost of our democracy.”

Activist, Aisha Yesufu, also accused Nigerian authorities of practising selective justice in the handling of the case involving Emmanson, the Ibom Air passenger who was arrested, charged, and remanded in Kirikiri Correctional Centre after assaulting airline staff.

In a video posted on her X (formerly Twitter) account on Monday, Yesufu said the incident exposed deep inequality before the law in Nigeria.

“We cannot have a nation where we have two justice systems, and depending on your social standing in the society, that will determine the kind of justice system given to you or aligns to you. That is unacceptable,” she said.

The activist stressed she was “not against the charges and accusations” against Emmanson, but insisted that “justice must be justice” and must apply equally to all citizens.

“The reason it is the rule of law is that it applies to everybody, not that it applies for some people and not for some other people,” she added.

Yesufu contrasted Emmanson’s treatment with that of Fuji musician Wasiu Ayinde, also known as KWAM 1, and former Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, who were involved in separate airline-related incidents but faced no arrests or detention.

“Just the way they asked King Wasiu to come down. King Wasiu Ayinde, according to reports, actually poured whatever he had in the plane and even was stopping an aircraft. But he has not been remanded. He sent in an apology letter and after an apology letter, he was threatening the airline, and nothing has been done to him,” she said.

Yesufu also condemned the way Emmanson was restrained, alleging that security agents dragged her in a manner that tore her dress and exposed her breasts.

“That is sexual harassment. That is you putting somebody’s nudity in the public while there was literally no need for that to be in the public place.

“You needed to show that you have humiliated her and now she will forever live with the fact that her body part… is now all out on display and people will continue to make caricature with it,” she said.

She argued that the situation could have been handled with more dignity.

“Imagine the way they dragged her out. Do they even train the security agents on what to do?

“They dragged her as if they were dragging chicken and someone from the back drew her dress that it tore and exposed her breasts.

“Do you even understand what happens to her mental state? I’m not saying that what Comfort Emmason did was right… but there are better ways that Ibom Air could have handled that issue, not in the way that humiliated her,” she added.

Yesufu questioned why the same force was not applied to other high-profile individuals in similar circumstances.

“Why didn’t you drag King Wasiu Ayinde out of the aircraft like that? Why didn’t they bundle Senator Adams Oshiomhole and drag him on the floor?

“Why was it only Comfort that they felt comfortable dragging on the floor and displaying her body all over the space? There are a whole lot that is wrong there, and then they dragged her to court and remanded her but the other people have not been remanded. I will say it again, selective justice is actually injustice,” she said

Ibom Air, meanwhile, maintains that the trouble began before take-off when Emmanson allegedly refused to switch off her phone, in violation of aviation safety rules. The airline said her behaviour endangered the safety of passengers, crew, and aircraft, prompting it to bar her from all future flights.