An Ibom Air passenger, Ms. Comfort Emmanson, has been remanded in Kirikiri prison after being charged to court over a violent altercation with the airline’s crew on a Uyo to Lagos flight.
Tunde Moshood, Special Adviser on Media and Communications to the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, disclosed the development in a post on X on Monday, warning passengers to exercise caution while flying.
“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 is now cooling off in Kirikiri,” Moshood wrote.
The incident, which occurred on Sunday, August 10, 2025, was confirmed by Ibom Air in a statement issued on Monday. The airline said Ms. Emmanson’s conduct endangered the safety of its crew, passengers, and aircraft.
According to the statement, shortly before take-off from Uyo, Ms. Emmanson was instructed to switch off her mobile phone in line with aviation safety procedures but refused to comply until the Pilot-in-Command made a public announcement. A passenger seated beside her eventually switched off the phone, prompting her to launch into a verbal tirade. The situation was calmed, and the flight departed as scheduled.
Upon arrival in Lagos, Ms. Emmanson reportedly waited until all passengers had disembarked before confronting the Purser, who had earlier instructed her to turn off the phone. The airline said she stepped on the crew member, forcibly tore off her wig, removed her glasses, threw them to the floor, and used her footwear to assault her. She also slapped the Purser several times. When another cabin crew member attempted to intervene, she slapped her as well.
The statement further alleged that Ms. Emmanson attempted to forcibly remove a fire extinguisher to use as a weapon, an act that could have damaged and grounded the aircraft. The Pilot-in-Command alerted airport security, and the Purser, as seen in a viral video, prevented her from leaving the aircraft until security personnel arrived.
Ibom Air said the passenger attacked both its security personnel and officials of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), lashing out violently and even slapping the airline’s ground supervisor after being removed from the aircraft.
Ms. Emmanson was subsequently taken into custody by FAAN security and handed over to the Nigeria Police Force for further investigation. The airline confirmed that it had reported the matter to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and had permanently barred her from flying on any of its aircraft.
