THE Ikeja Magistrate Court in Ogba, Lagos State, has discharged Comfort Emmanson, an Ibom Air passenger accused of assaulting crew members and airport officials at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, from prison and acquitted her of all charges.
The ICIR reported that Emmanson was accused of engaging in disruptive conduct during an Ibom Air flight from Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital to the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos State, on August 10, leading to her arrest, prosecution and remand in Kirikiri Prison.
In addition to her prosecution, the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) imposed a lifetime ban on her from flying on any Nigerian carrier.
Emmanson was arraigned before the court on Monday and granted bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties in like sum.
However, she was remanded at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre for failing to meet the bail conditions.
Her case sparked heated debates among Nigerians, with many comparing her case with that of a popular musician Wasiu Ayinde, also known as KWAM 1.
KWAM 1 had attempted to physically prevent a ValueJet plane from taking off at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, and was reported to have assaulted the captain by pouring alcohol on her.
While Emmanson was sued and detained in prison within 24 hours, KWAM 1 walked freely on the street, despite the Federal Government’s vow to investigate him.
He is widely believed to be well-connected to the Presidency.
Reacting to the cases Wednesday morning, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, said he had engaged Ibom Air’s management, the police, and the AON, leading to an agreement to withdraw the complaint and lift the lifetime ban.
The minister said that the resolutions were reached after reviewing the incidents, considering appeals from individuals, noting that Ibom Air had agreed to withdraw its complaint against Emmanson.
But many Nigerians have faulted these decisions, accusing the government of protecting KWAM 1 from facing a similar fate as Emmanson.
The ICIR reported how the Nigerian government announced plans to make the musician “an “Ambassador for Proper Airport Security Protocol,” a decision many Nigerians described as a way to promote lawlessness in the nation’s aviation sector, and the Presidency’s deliberate interference with the mandates of the NCAA, the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and other relevant institutions in the sector.
On Tuesday, August 12, the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, had ordered a through probe of the globe-trotting musician, after receiving a petition from the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA)
At the resumed hearing of Emmanson’s case Wednesday, the prosecutor, Oluwabunmi Adeitan, tendered application to court for the withdrawal of the case, which was admitted by the court.
Magistrate Olanrewaju Salami dismissed the case against the lady after the police withdrew the five charges preferred against her.
The ICIR reported that Ibom Air accused Emmanson of assaulting the lead flight attendant and airport officials, leading to a violent confrontation and her forceful removal from the plane.
During the process, her cloth was torn, exposing her full upper body.
Viral videos on social media show her upper body naked as she was being dragged from the aircraft to the tarmac by men with vest bearing Ibom Air.
While many who the initial viral videos where she assaulted the airline crew condemned her action, subsequent videos show how she was blocked by the crew from alighting from the fight, in what appears a bid to hand her over to security officials.
Meanwhile, rights advocates have urged her to file a lawsuit against the airline as the Nigeria Bar Association expressed its willing to offer her a pro bono service.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.