…the incident has now triggered a wide-ranging probe by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority.
LAGOS, NIGERIA – The iNews Times | The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has launched a fact-finding mission into last Sunday’s dramatic incident aboard Ibom Air flight IAN513 from Uyo to Lagos, in which a female passenger, Comfort Emmanson, allegedly assaulted crew members after refusing repeated instructions to switch off her mobile phone before take-off.
Viral videos from the flight showed Emmanson slapping and kicking airline and airport officials, including a female air hostess, before she was forcibly removed from the aircraft by security operatives.
The incident, which quickly dominated social media discussions, has now triggered a wide-ranging probe by the NCAA and reignited debates about discipline and fairness in Nigeria’s aviation sector.
On Tuesday, NCAA Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Mike Achimugu, took to social media to appeal to other passengers on the flight to come forward with their accounts.
“Once verified that you were actually a passenger on that flight, we can discuss and try to understand other perspectives to this issue,” Achimugu said.
He stressed that while unruly behaviour could not be excused, the authority was determined to ensure that “every other person who was culpable down the line is held accountable.”
Achimugu confirmed that NCAA officials in Lagos would lead the fact-finding process in collaboration with the police and other security agencies involved in the removal of the passenger. “In the interest of justice and fairness, it is necessary to hear both sides of the story,” he noted, adding that lessons must be learned by all parties – passengers, airline staff, and aviation security.
Public outrage and comparisons to Kwam 1
The case took a new turn when it was compared to an earlier aviation incident involving Fuji music legend Wasiu Ayinde, popularly known as Kwam 1, who was accused of disrupting ValueJet’s Abuja–Lagos flight (VK 201) on August 5.
Critics questioned why Emmanson was swiftly taken to court and remanded at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre, while Kwam 1 faced no such legal action.
Appearing on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Tuesday, Achimugu clarified that the two cases were fundamentally different.
“There is no comparison here; it’s not a case of oranges and oranges,” he said. “In the Kwam 1 incident, the airline did not activate its rights to take the passenger to court, so the NCAA did what it was supposed to do by petitioning the authorities to petition the passenger. In the Ibom Air incident, maybe because their staff had been assaulted, the airline immediately activated its right to take up the matter, and it went to court.”
According to Achimugu, the aviation authority was not directly involved in prosecuting Emmanson, but in Kwam 1’s case, it issued an advisory to the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) to place the musician on a flight ban. He also corrected earlier reports, stating that Kwam 1’s ban was indefinite, pending investigation, and not for a fixed six-month period.
Explaining why Emmanson was placed on a no-fly life ban, he said airline operators are legally empowered to take such action when their crew is assaulted.
Safety first, safety always
In closing his remarks, Achimugu reiterated the aviation industry’s uncompromising focus on safety. “One hopes that lessons are learned from all of these events and that necessary adjustments and improvements are implemented by all stakeholders. In aviation, it is safety first, safety second, and safety third,” he emphasised.
The NCAA’s probe is ongoing, with more testimonies expected from passengers, crew members, and security operatives in the coming days. The authority has pledged to release its findings once all sides of the story have been thoroughly examined.
