COMFORT Emmanson, an Ibom Air passenger, who was recently detained on a court order and released from Kirikiri Correctional Centre in Lagos State, after her altercation with the airline’s crew and airport security staff said she was not a nuisance, and her reaction was out of frustration.
Emmanson also said she had been ashamed to go out since he was released from prison after the incident.
She lamented that her picture in which the upper part of her body was revealed during the airport incident was being used by some Nigerians as stickers and had been widely shared.
In an Instagram post at the weekend, Emmanson said she could no longer go out due to viral videos showing the upper region of her body when was being forced out of the Ibom Aircraft at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos.
“People already know that this is the person; they know me. I cannot even go out again. I’m ashamed to go out because my body is out there.
“Some people have even turned it into stickers. I can’t even go out again because people already know me. Imagine me trying to sell a house, and clients have seen that video. How do I face them?” she asked.
According to her, she is not a troublemaker but was provoked to react.
“I’m not a nuisance. People who know me in real life know the kind of person I am. I just never expected that offering to switch off my phone would escalate like this,” she stated.
She added that although she has been released, she remained in pain from the experience.
The ICIR reported that the incident between Emmanson and the Ibom Air crew occurred on August 10, 2025, when she was involved in a confrontation with a flight attendant who asked Emmanson to switch off her phone.
According to her, the attendant dragged her by her hairpiece (frontal wig), tore her clothes, and pulled off her necklace, leading to her poking the attendant in anger.
She said the incident began shortly after boarding a flight from Uyo to Lagos. A flight attendant, identified as Juliana, allegedly confronted her and told her to switch off her phone.
Emmanson clarified that while one of her phones was faulty, with a damaged power button, she finally received help from a fellow passenger to switch it off.
She explained that upon landing in Lagos, the same attendant stopped her from leaving the aircraft, gazed at her “with a bad eye,” and blocked her from disembarking.
“She dragged my frontal, my gold chain, and in the process, my phone fell and broke. The pain of having my frontal yanked off was unbearable. That was when I poked her out of anger,” Emmanson narrated.
She recalled being forcibly removed from the aircraft by staff while passengers filmed the scene.
She stated that her clothes were torn, leaving her humiliated, vulnerable, and exposed while being dragged out.
She expressed gratitude to her supporters for the prayers, love, and support she received during her predicament.
The ICIR reported that an Ikeja Magistrate’s Court struck out the five-count charge against the passenger after the police prosecution team withdrew its case.
Emmanson’s trial 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 on Wednesday, August 13, 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.
While Emmanson was freed from detention, the government also reduced the six-month flight ban it imposed on KWAM 1 to one month.
A reporter with the ICIR
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