A female passenger accused of physically attacking an Ibom Air crew member during a flight from Uyo to Lagos has been arraigned in court and ordered to be held at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre in Lagos.
The Minister of Aviation’s Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Tunde Moshood, disclosed the development in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday.
“The more reason the flying public should be more careful, the unruly passenger on the Uyo–Lagos bound Ibom Air, Miss Comfort Emmanson, has been charged to court and she’s now cooling off in Kirikiri,” he wrote.
The incident, which was captured in a viral video, reportedly began before take-off in Uyo when the passenger allegedly refused to switch off her mobile phone despite instructions from the cabin crew. Ibom Air stated that another passenger seated beside her complied with the instruction, sparking an angry outburst from Emmanson.
According to the airline, tensions escalated after landing in Lagos when she confronted the flight purser who had earlier spoken to her about the phone, repeatedly slapping her. The carrier also alleged that the passenger tried to forcefully remove a fire extinguisher from its mount, which it described as “an intention to damage and ground the aircraft.”
Ibom Air announced a permanent ban on the passenger, citing her actions as a serious threat to the safety of crew members, fellow travellers, and the aircraft itself.
The case comes amid growing concerns over disruptive behaviour by air travellers in Nigeria. The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has recently warned that strict sanctions will be imposed on passengers who engage in violent or disorderly conduct.
The latest incident follows another high-profile case involving Fuji star King Wasiu Ayinde Marshal (KWAM 1), who was accused of trying to prevent a ValueJet flight from taking off after being removed from the aircraft.
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