Miss Comfort Emmanson, the passenger accused of unruly behaviour aboard an Ibom Air flight from Uyo to Lagos, has been released after a wave of public outrage and intervention from the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo.
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Emmanson was initially arraigned before an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court on Monday on five charges, including assaulting a flight attendant and clashing with airport security. She was granted bail of ₦500,000 with two sureties in like sum but was remanded in Kirikiri Correctional Centre for failing to meet the conditions.
Her arrest sparked nationwide criticism, with civil society groups, the Nigerian Bar Association, and members of the public accusing Ibom Air and the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) of unfair and heavy-handed handling of the case — especially when compared to a similar incident involving Fuji music icon Wasiu Ayinde, known as Kwam 1.
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Following the backlash, Keyamo announced on Wednesday that the complaint against Emmanson had been withdrawn after consultations with aviation stakeholders and appeals from concerned Nigerians. He noted that both the passenger and airline staff shared blame for the incident.
“In the case of the unruly passenger, Ms Comfort Emmanson, I have conferred with Ibom Airline to withdraw the complaint against her today. She exhibited great remorse for her conduct,” Keyamo said, adding that the AON had lifted the lifetime flying ban placed on her.
A few hours later, Magistrate Olanrewaju Salami formally discharged Emmanson after Prosecutor Oluwabunmi Adeitan applied for the case’s withdrawal. Court documents confirmed “new developments” as the reason for the decision.
With the case now closed, the incident has sparked renewed debate on airline-customer relations and the enforcement of passenger rights in Nigeria’s aviation sector.
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