Ibom Air Passenger Arraigned, Remanded in Kirikiri For Assaulting Crew Member

Comfort Emmanson, the passenger accused of attacking airline staff on an Ibom Air flight from Uyo to Lagos, has been arraigned 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 X (formerly Twitter) 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 renewed warnings from the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) that tougher penalties will be enforced against disruptive passengers, whose incidents have been on the rise at Nigerian airports.

A viral video had shown Emmanson repeatedly slapping an Ibom Air Purser after she was allegedly told to switch off her mobile phone before take-off. In a statement on Monday, Ibom Air confirmed it has banned Emmanson from using its services for assaulting a crew member.

According to the airline, the confrontation began before departure in Uyo when Emmanson ignored safety instructions to switch off her phone. Another passenger seated beside her eventually turned it off, triggering a verbal altercation.

Upon arrival in Lagos, the passenger allegedly confronted the Purser, physically attacked her, and attempted to seize a fire extinguisher “with the intention to damage and ground the aircraft,” the airline said, adding that her actions posed a serious threat to crew, passengers, and the aircraft.

This latest incident comes just days after a similar controversy involving Fuji musician King Wasiu Ayinde Marshal (KWAM 1), who allegedly tried to stop a ValueJet aircraft from departing after being removed from the flight.