BARELY a week after a public altercation involving popular Fuji musician Wasiu Ayinde at the domestic wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, another passenger, Comfort Emmanson, has been captured harassing workers at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos.
The Ibom Air confirmed on Monday, August 11, that the female passenger assaulted many crew members and airport security staff in a series of violent outbursts that began shortly before take-off from Uyo on Sunday, August.
In a statement by the airline, the incident started when Emmanson refused repeated instructions to switch off her mobile phone in line with standard aviation safety rules.
The airline noted that it took a fellow passenger seated beside her to collect the phone from her and switch it off.
“Shortly before take-off from Uyo, Ms. Emmanson was instructed in line with standard aviation safety procedures, to switch off her mobile phone. She bluntly refused to comply until the Pilot-in-Command made an announcement, after which a fellow passenger seated beside her took the phone and switched it off. This action prompted a verbal tirade from Ms. Emmanson. The situation was eventually calmed, and the flight departed as scheduled.
The disturbance appeared to subside during the flight, but tensions reignited after the aircraft landed in Lagos. The airline said Ms. Emmanson waited for other passengers to disembark before confronting the Purser, stepping on her, forcibly removing her wig and glasses, striking her with footwear, and slapping her repeatedly.
“Upon arrival in Lagos, Ms. Emmanson waited for all other passengers to disembark and then proceeded to confront the Purser who had earlier instructed her. She walked up to the unsuspecting Purser, stepped on her, forcibly tore off her wig, removed her glasses and threw it to the floor, and used her footwear to assault her. She slapped her several times and when the other cabin crew member tried to intervene, she slapped her too. She then attempted to forcibly remove a fire extinguisher to use as a weapon, an act that could have damaged and grounded the aircraft,” the statement added.
Although, The ICIR could not independently ascertain what triggered her behaviour, viral videos of the incident compounded most of the claims by the airline.
It showed the visibly agitated passenger jabbing a flight attendant’s head with her finger and later clashing with security officials on the tarmac after being dragged out of the aircraft.
Another video showed how she was hitting one of the airline workers. Shortly after, she was dragged by four people, who appeared to be Ibom Air and the airport security staff, out of the aircraft. In the process of forcing her out of the plane, her two breasts were revealed after her white top loosened, and she promptly covered them with her cloth.
The officers overpowered her and bundled her into an airport bus.
Ibom Air further captured the incident thus: “By this time, the Pilot-in-Command had alerted airport security. Before security could arrive, the Purser as seen on the viral video on the internet, prevented the passenger from leaving the aircraft until security arrived. The arrival of Ibom Air Security personnel, did not deter the passenger as she attacked them as well, lashing out violently at both Ibom Air and FAAN security.
She was then restrained and removed from the aircraft by force. Even after disembarking, she continued to assault both Ibom Air and FAAN security staff, and even slapped the ground supervisor. The passenger was removed from the ramp and taken into custody by FAAN security and handed over to the Nigeria Police Force for further investigation.
“Ibom Air has since submitted a report on the incident to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, and placed a travel restriction on Ms. Emmanson, who will no longer be permitted to fly on any of our aircraft,” the statement added.
The ICIR reports that the altercation came just days after the NCAA suspended two ValueJet pilots over a safety breach during a row involving Wasiu Ayinde at Abuja airport, with the celebrity placed under an indefinite travel ban pending investigation.
The National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) has since urged the NCAA to punish the musician for “crude, unruly behaviour.”
The group also urged the NCAA to restore the ValueJet pilots’ licences, warning that passenger misconduct threatened both safety and security in the aviation sector.
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