A ROUTINE Ibom Air flight from Uyo to Lagos on Sunday, August 10, 2025, turned chaotic after a passenger, Comfort Emmanson, allegedly refused to comply with crew instructions, leading to a violent confrontation and removal from the plane.
During the process, her cloth was torn, exposing her upper body, wig removed and she was visibly bruised. Video circulating showed her top naked as she was being dragged away from the cabin down to the ground by four people believed to be security personnel.
The airline said the passenger assaulted the purser — the lead flight attendant — as well as airport officials, and has therefore been permanently banned. The passenger was later charged and remanded.
But subsequent social media footage, bystander posts and competing accounts leave gaps and contradictions in the public record.
Refusal to switch off phone before take-off
According to videos seen by The ICIR, the trouble began before take-off in Uyo when the cabin crew asked Emmanson to turn off her mobile phone as required by aviation safety regulations.
The airline in a statement said she refused to comply, which prompted another passenger to turn off the phone. This reportedly angered Emmanson, who began verbally confronting those involved.
The statement added that the captain had to make annoucement to ensure compliance, the sitauation became calmed and they departed.
However, post circulatiing on social media purportedly from eyewitnesses alleged that the passenger had told the crew her phone was already in flight mode and accused staff of overreacting.
Others, who said they had experienced the same issue with the airline in the past, suggested that the situation might have been escalated due to the crew’s tone and handling of the matter.
The confrontation
Upon arrival in Lagos, after other passengers had disembarked, a video showed Emmanson approaching the purser — the lead cabin crew member who had earlier instructed her to turn off her phone. She asked to be allowed to leave, but the attendant blocked her path.
“Madam, abeg comot for road make I pass,” she said in Pidgin in a video seen by The ICIR.
According to the airline, Emmanson was restrained until security personnel arrived because she had stepped on the purser’s foot, forcibly removed her wig and glasses, flung the glasses to the floor, and struck the crew member several times with her shoe. A video seen by The ICIR shows Emmanson repeatedly asking the purser to let her pass before assaulting her when she refused.
Another clip shows Emmanson being dragged off the plane. She also struck another staff member who tried to intervene.
Several videos circulating online capture different parts of the altercation, both inside the cabin and later on the tarmac.
The pilot had already alerted airport security, and personnel from Ibom Air and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) arrived at the scene. She was uncooperative.
Police officers who responded to the scene attempted to de-escalate the situation, but Emmanson remained uncooperative, at one point asking to call her lawyer and questioning if the police station had surveillance cameras.
Eyewitness videos showed a chaotic scene on the tarmac and near an airport bus, with Emmanson eventually being bundled into the vehicle before being taken to the nearest police station.
Varying accounts and trends of unprofessionalism allegations
A screenshot of a social media comment, attributed to a user named Tunde A. Ibrahim, who identified himself as one of the passengers, claimed the crew blocked the Emmanson from disembarking after landing and pushed her back into her seat while waiting for airport security. The ICIR attempted to contact Ibrahim to verify this account, but his Facebook profile was locked and he had not responded to messages sent via Facebook Messenger as of press time.
Also, an Instagram user, under the name Churchgirlsgag, on Monday, shared a series of videos alleging unprofessional conduct by the same purser, during a November 20, 2024, trip from Nigeria to Accra, Ghana.
The user, claimed the purser also instructed passengers to switch off their phones in a “rude and disdainful” tone.
The situation reportedly escalated when the attendant told a man seated behind the passenger to “do it now” after he acknowledged her request to turn off his phone. The man objected to the manner in which she spoke to him, leading to a verbal exchange between them.
The passenger stated that the videos in circulation were originally posted on the day of the incident, adding that ‘injustice to one is injustice to all’ and that they decided to share their account now to provide context to viewers.
Similarly, a Facebook user, Stanley Kotey Pepple, recalled his experience with the airline on August 9, adding that the same hostess made derogatory comments after he had informed them of the possibility of something burning.
He noted that “while boarding, I noticed something burning and asked a junior crew member. She replied it was from the microwave. Moments later, I overheard this same lady who was slapped (so called purser), asking the junior crew what I had said, before remarking – “All these over-sabi passengers, he won’t mind his business, I too sabi”
“I called that same Junior crew member to let her know I heard the comment of her purser.
“In my view, such remarks show rudeness, lack of training, and a poor attitude toward passengers. So when I later heard she had a bad encounter a day after and was dealt serious slaps, I couldn’t help but think and thank God for how swiftly her karma came.”
The ICIR reached out to Pepple to ascertain his claims, but he has yet to respond to our inquiry on facebook as of the time of filing this report.
NCAA asks witnesses to come forward
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has said that it is seeking testimonies from passengers who were onboard the Ibom Air Uyo-Lagos flight (IAN513) during a recent incident that escalated into a fracas between a traveler and airline staff.
In a statement on X, Michael Achimugu, NCAA’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, called on any passenger with firsthand knowledge of the events to come forward.
“Any person who was a passenger on that Ibom Air Uyo-Lagos flight (IAN513) and witnessed the events that led to the fracas should, as a matter of urgency and fairness, reach out to me via DM or michael.achimugu@ncaa.gov.ng Once verified that you were actually a passenger on that flight, we can discuss and try to understand other perspectives to this issue,” he said.
He revealed that NCAA officers in Lagos would embark on a fact-finding mission, engaging the police and other security personnel who were part of the chain of events.
According to Achimugu, the incident serves as “a test for the system,” highlighting that even with strong regulations, human behaviour can be unpredictable. “When these events occur, we are able to see the gaps and pluck loopholes,” he said.
However, his post drew criticism from those who argued he could have reached the passengers using the flight manifest.
Airline ban and allegation of selective justice
Ibom Air condemned the assault and announced a ban on Emmanson from all its flights, citing its zero-tolerance policy toward violence against staff.
The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), the umbrella body for Nigerian airlines, also placed her on an indefinite no-fly list across all member carriers. Shared with domestic and some international airlines, the list effectively bars her from flying with any airline in the group.
The incident sparked heated debate online, with many Nigerians drawing comparisons to a similar episode involving Fuji musician Wasiu Ayinde, also known as K1 De Ultimate or KWAM 1. Just days earlier, he had allegedly attempted to physically prevent a plane from taking off and was reported to have assaulted the captain by pouring a “liquid” on her.
As of press time, Ayinde had not been detained or charged, a disparity that some critics argued underscored Nigeria’s two-tier justice system.
An X user, Comrade Phills reacted to the incident argued that the two cases highlighted what he described as Nigeria’s entrenched inequality before the law. Using Ayinde’s case as an example, he noted that the musician had blocked an aircraft from taking off, an act he said endangered hundreds of passengers and disrupted operations on the tarmac, yet was neither arrested nor detained. Instead, according to him, KWAM 1 was only banned from flying for six months after which he issued an apology days later.
By contrast, Phills said, Emmanson, the passenger at the centre of the Ibom Air fracas, faced immediate arrest and was allegedly remanded in prison shortly after the incident.
He suggested that while both incidents were violations, the disparity in response reflected a system that was, in his words, “rigged against the ordinary citizens.” He maintained that in Nigeria, connections often determined how the law treated individuals, with the wealthy or influential enjoying leniency while ordinary citizens bore the full weight of the law.
Human rights activist, Aisha Yesufu also posted, “Adams Oshiomole was not remanded! King Wasiu Ayinde Marshal KWAM1 was not remanded! No Nigerian Is More Nigerian Than Any Nigerian! Selective justice is injustice. What is good for the goose is good for the gander!”
The 2023 Labour Party’s presidential candidate Peter Obi described the public stripping of Emmanson as “unnecessary” and “the height of rascality and abuse.”
Obi further questioned why Emmanson was swiftly prosecuted while the other offender ‘has neither been arrested nor arraigned.’
He urged the Minister of Aviation and relevant authorities to explain the disparity in how both cases were handled, stressing that justice must be “fair, equal, and not selective, especially against women.”
Social media user Balogun Saheed also pointed to the disparity in sanctions between the Ibom Air passenger and KWAM 1.
“Someone with a lesser degree of similar offence has been hurriedly remanded in prison. Double justice ruin a nation,” he wrote.
Kingsley, another X user, said “Under APC, one constitution has two interpretations. One for the rich and connected. One for the poor.”
Court arraignment and public reactions
Following her arrest, Emmanson was arraigned at an Ikeja Magistrate’s Court in Lagos on multiple counts, including unruly conduct on an aircraft, assault on two women — one identified as the flight purser, Juliana Edward and willful damage to airline property and personal items.
The charges also alleged she struck a second victim, Lokpame Sagun, with her slippers, damaged an aircraft divider valued at $2,500, and tore a wig worth ₦110,000.
According to the charge sheet, the alleged offences contravene sections of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) Bye-Law 2005 and the Lagos State Criminal Law, carrying punishments ranging from fines to prison terms.
She was consequently remanded to the Kirikiri Correctional Centre after failing to meet bail conditions.
Human rights lawyer Chidi Odinkalu, questioned the legality of the committal warrant issued against her, calling it post-dated and therefore unlawful as the warrant warrant is dated October 11 instead of August 11, 2025.
Meanwhile, the viral video showing her chest exposed during her removal from the aircraft drew widespread condemnation with some Nigerians urging her to sue the airline for the violation of her human right.
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development Festus Keyamo described the leak as “deplorable” and “totall unacceptable.”
He stressed that while evidence of unruly behaviour should be used for prosecution, the circulation of explicit footage was unacceptable.
He added, “I have also directed that the airlines must continue to train and retrain their staff in public relations and how to deal with potentially explosive situations in order to diffuse them promptly or nip them in the bud, except when it becomes inevitable. I have also directed a joint security meeting between relevant agencies next week for better coordination of security measures in situations like this or similar ones we witnessed recently.”
Also, another human rights lawyer Festus Ogun questioned why Fuji musician Wasiu Ayinde Marshal (KWAM 1), accused last week of holding up a flight, was not similarly prosecuted.
“You can read the riot act to Comfort but the entire aviation industry is deaf and dumb when it got to the President’s kinsman,” Ogun said in another post.
Some lawyers also noted the speed with which the case has progressed, contrasting it with what they described as a slower response in cases involving politically connected individuals.
Ridwan Oke stated that “you will be amazed at how quickly the Justice system can move when the ordinary citizens are at the receiving end. The lady involved in the Ibom Air sage has been arraigned and remanded in prison custody.”
He recalled how EndSARS protesters were arraigned within hours.
“During the EndSARS, they actually brought in a Magistrate and arraigned people on a Saturday evening within Panti. The saving grace was that I was well prepared on suit and tie. Can the Justice system work like this all the time and not just at random?
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M
Nurudeen Akewushola is an investigative reporter and fact-checker with The ICIR. He believes courageous in-depth investigative reporting is the key to social justice, accountability and good governance in society. You can reach him via nyahaya@icirnigeria.org and @NurudeenAkewus1 on Twitter.