Ibom Air Passenger Who Assaulted Flight Attendant Remanded in Kirikiri

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

The case comes amid warnings from the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) that stricter enforcement measures will be applied against unruly passengers, citing a recent rise in disruptive incidents at Nigerian airports.

Emmanson, whose actions were captured in a viral video, was seen repeatedly slapping an Ibom Air purser after she was allegedly instructed to switch off her mobile phone before take-off. The airline announced on Monday that she has been banned from flying with them.

According to Ibom Air, the incident began before departure from Uyo when Emmanson refused to comply with standard safety procedures requiring all passengers to switch off their phones. A fellow passenger seated beside her eventually switched off the device, which reportedly triggered a verbal altercation.

Upon arrival in Lagos, Emmanson confronted the purser who had earlier given the safety instruction and physically assaulted her. The airline further alleged that she attempted to forcibly remove a fire extinguisher, an act described as “an intention to damage and ground the aircraft.”

Ibom Air stressed that her behaviour endangered the safety of the crew, passengers, and the aircraft itself.

The development comes just days after a similar high-profile case involving Fuji musician King Wasiu Ayinde Marshal (KWAM 1), who allegedly attempted to prevent a ValueJet flight from taking off after being deboarded.