ABUJA – Ibom Air has confirmed that an incident occurred on Sunday, August 10, 2025, during our Uyo–Lagos flight involving passenger Ms. Comfort Emmanson, whose behaviour endangered the safety of the crew, other passengers, and the aircraft itself.
Prior to take-off from Uyo, Ms. Emmanson was instructed, in accordance with aviation safety protocols, to turn off her mobile phone. She refused to comply until the Pilot-in-Command intervened, prompting a nearby passenger to turn off the phone on her behalf. This led to a verbal outburst from Ms. Emmanson. Fortunately, the situation was resolved, and the flight proceeded as planned.
Upon arrival in Lagos, Ms. Emmanson waited for the other passengers to disembark before confronting the Purser who had previously given her instructions. She approached the unsuspecting Purser, stepped on her, ripped off her wig, removed her glasses, and threw them to the ground, subsequently using her footwear to assault her. She struck the Purser multiple times, and when another crew member intervened, she attacked her as well. In a dangerous escalation, Ms. Emmanson attempted to seize a fire extinguisher as a weapon, which could have jeopardised the aircraft’s safety.
The Pilot-in-Command alerted airport security, and before they could arrive, the Purser, as seen in a viral video, prevented Ms. Emmanson from leaving the aircraft. The arrival of Ibom Air Security personnel did not dissuade Ms. Emmanson, who continued her violent behaviour, assaulting both Ibom Air and FAAN security staff. Eventually, she was forcibly restrained and removed from the aircraft. Even after disembarking, she continued to attack the security personnel and even struck the ground supervisor.
Ms. Emmanson was subsequently taken into custody by FAAN security and handed over to the Nigeria Police Force for further investigation. Ibom Air has reported the incident to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and has imposed a travel ban on Ms. Emmanson, preventing her from flying with us in the future.
Ibom Air maintains a strict zero-tolerance policy towards any form of unruly or violent behaviour that threatens the safety of passengers, crew, or aircraft. Such actions will result in severe consequences, including legal action and a permanent ban from our services.
We commend our crew for their bravery and professionalism in managing this incident under extremely challenging conditions, as well as the prompt assistance from airport security and the Nigeria Police.
Safety continues to be our utmost priority, and we urge all passengers to adhere to crew instructions at all times to ensure the safety, security, and comfort of everyone on board.
