The Ibom Air passenger, Comfort Emmanson has been charged in court and remanded in Kirikiri Correctional Centre in Lagos over allegations of assaulting a hostess on a Uyo-to-Lagos flight.
It was gathered that the passenger was charged in court following her violent actions against airline staff.
Tunde Moshood, Special Adviser on Media and Communications to the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, confirmed the development in a post on his official X handle 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,” Moshood wrote.
This development came after warnings by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority that stricter enforcement actions would be taken against passengers engaging in disruptive conduct, which has been on the rise in Nigerian airports.
Recall that the Ibom Air passenger, who was on board the Uyo to Lagos flight, had in a viral video repeatedly slapped a Purser with Ibom Air after she was allegedly told to switch off her phone before take-off.
The airline, in a statement on Monday, has also banned the passenger from flying with its airline after she was found assaulting one of the crew members of their aircraft.
Ibom Air said the incident began before take-off from Uyo when Emmanson refused to comply with safety procedures requiring passengers to switch off their mobile phones.
The carrier said that upon arrival in Lagos, Emmanson confronted the purser, who had earlier instructed her to switch off her phone and physically assaulted her.
Ibom Air added that her behaviour posed a serious threat to the safety of its crew, passengers, and aircraft.
