Comfort Emmanson, a passenger accused of violently assaulting Ibom Air crew members on a flight from Uyo to Lagos, has been charged and remanded to Kirikiri Correctional Centre.
A viral video captured Emmanson repeatedly slapping a purser after being asked to switch off her phone before takeoff. Ibom Air confirmed the incident occurred on Sunday, August 10, 2025, and detailed the events in a statement.
“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,” the airline stated.
This sparked a verbal outburst from Emmanson, though the situation was initially calmed, allowing the flight to depart.
In Lagos, after other passengers disembarked, Emmanson confronted the 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,” also slapping another intervening crew member.
Ibom Air reported that Emmanson attempted to wield a fire extinguisher as a weapon, an act they called “an intention to damage and ground the aircraft,”.
Airport security was alerted by the pilot, and the purser restrained Emmanson until security arrived, as seen in the viral video.
Emmanson continued her aggression, attacking Ibom Air security personnel and the ground supervisor before being subdued and handed over to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) security and Nigeria Police Force.
The airline has banned Emmanson from its flights and reported the incident to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), commending its crew and security for their professionalism.
Tunde Moshood, media adviser to Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo, confirmed Emmanson’s court appearance and remand on X, stating, “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,”.
The NCAA has warned of stricter enforcement against disruptive passengers amid rising incidents.
