Ibom Air has disclaimed responsibility for a viral video showing a female passenger partially exposed during an in-flight altercation.
Speaking on TVC News, the airline’s Group Manager, Marketing and Communications, Aniekan Essienette, confirmed that although the incident occurred aboard an Ibom Air flight, no staff member was involved in leaking the footage.
This clarification follows a directive from Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo, who ordered sanctions against any airline employee found to have leaked the clip.
Keyamo stated that while recording such incidents for legal purposes is acceptable, releasing sensitive footage to the public is “totally unacceptable.”
Essienette emphasized that multiple individuals, including non-staff members, were present when the video was captured.
“The recording was done onboard, but others besides our crew were in the vicinity. We can categorically state that the video was not released by Ibom Air.”
She also stated that the passenger was forcibly removed from the aircraft after resisting instructions to disembark.
“Security was called by the pilot after the passenger refused to leave. Our crew had to restrain her briefly before handing her over.”
On growing cases of mid-flight disruptions, Essienette added that no airline seeks to humiliate passengers, calling for more proactive measures to prevent future incidents.
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