A Civil Society Organisation, the Network for the Actualisation of Social Growth and Viable Development (NEFGAD), has urged a comprehensive investigation into the conduct of Ibom Air and relevant regulatory bodies in their handling of Comfort Emmanson’s case.
In a statement released on Monday by its Head of Office, Omoniyi Akingunola, the organisation described Emmanson’s treatment as “unfair, unjust, and unacceptable” and pledged to provide her with free legal representation.
Viral videos on social media captured Emmanson in a heated altercation with flight attendants aboard an Ibom Air flight from Uyo to Lagos, and later clashing with airport security personnel.
According to Ibom Air, the incident began shortly before departure from Uyo when Emmanson allegedly declined to comply with aviation safety protocols requiring passengers to switch off their mobile devices. The airline stated that her behaviour endangered the safety of the crew, passengers, and aircraft.
The carrier has since banned her from boarding any of its flights.
NEFGAD criticised the Airline Operators of Nigeria for issuing a lifetime ban without conducting a fair hearing or thorough investigation, and also faulted the police for taking the case to court without adequate fact-finding.
Akingunola noted that public footage of the confrontation is incomplete and emphasised that the dispute originated on board the aircraft. He insisted Ibom Air must release the in-flight video to determine if Emmanson’s actions were provoked.
“It is wrong to judge the incident based solely on the clip recorded outside the aircraft. It appears something happened inside the plane, and the lady reacted after she was prevented from disembarking, an apparent orchestrated provocation to ensure she was penalised for whatever had transpired in-flight,” the statement reads.
He further questioned the expectation of civility from “anyone forcibly dragged down a plane” and raised concerns over why “a passenger ready to disembark suddenly refused to leave moments later.”
Akingunola suggested the incident may have been deliberately escalated, stressing that cabin crew members “should not act as law enforcement officers, especially when their actions resulted in physical assault.”
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