The Federal Government has withdrawn its criminal case against Ms. Comfort Emmanson, who was accused of disruptive behavior aboard an Ibom Air flight, and has reduced the flying ban previously imposed on Fuji music legend, Wasiu Ayinde Marshal, popularly known as KWAM 1.
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, announced the decisions on Wednesday following consultations with key aviation stakeholders and a review of both incidents.
Keyamo stated that Ibom Air agreed to drop its complaint against Ms. Emmanson after she showed remorse during a police interview attended by her lawyer. She had been detained over the August 10 incident.
“The Airport Command and the police prosecutor will now initiate steps for her release from Kirikiri Prison this week,” Keyamo confirmed. He also noted that the Airline Operators of Nigeria will lift the lifetime ban on her, with further details to be announced.
Regarding the separate incident involving KWAM 1 on a ValueJet flight, Keyamo said the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) will reduce the duration of the ban on the musician to one month.
The same penalty applies to ValueJet’s Captain Oluranti Ogoyi and First Officer Ivan Oloba. Their licences will be reinstated following a mandatory professional reappraisal.
The minister also revealed that the NCAA will drop its criminal complaint against KWAM 1, and that the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) intends to appoint him as an ambassador for airport security awareness.
To improve crisis management, a retreat will be held next week to retrain aviation security personnel on handling disruptive passengers and conflict de-escalation. Airlines will also attend sessions on staff behavior and customer service.
Keyamo stressed that the decisions were made strictly on compassionate grounds, stating “Government will never pander to base sentiments, politically motivated views, or flawed legal opinions where there is a clear breach of the law. These clemencies mark a final line being drawn.”
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