Ibom Air passenger remanded in kirikiri for violent assault on crew members 

An Ibom Air passenger, Comfort Emmanson, has been charged to court and remanded in Kirikiri prison following a violent altercation with the airline’s crew on a Uyo–Lagos flight.

Tunde Moshood, Special Assistant on Media and Communications to Festus Keyamo, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, disclosed the development in a post on X on Monday, warning that passengers must exercise caution and comply with in-flight safety rules.

“The more reason the flying public should be more careful, the unruly passenger on Uyo-Lagos bound Ibom Air, Miss Comfort Emmanson, has been charged to court and she’s now cooling off in Kirikiri,”

Ibom Air, in an earlier statement, confirmed that the incident occurred on Sunday, August 10, 2025, shortly before take-off from Uyo. The airline said Emmanson refused repeated instructions to switch off her mobile phone in line with aviation safety procedures, only complying after the Pilot-in-Command made a public announcement and a fellow passenger intervened.

Her refusal reportedly triggered a verbal outburst, though the situation was initially calmed and the flight departed on schedule. Upon arrival in Lagos, however, Emmanson allegedly launched a physical assault on the Purser, who had earlier instructed her to turn off her device.

The airline detailed that she stepped on the crew member, tore off her wig, removed her glasses and threw them to the floor, struck her with her footwear, and slapped her multiple times. Another crew member who tried to intervene was also assaulted.

According to Ibom Air, Emmanson then attempted to forcibly remove a fire extinguisher from the aircraft, an act that could have damaged equipment and grounded the plane. She was restrained after allegedly attacking airport security personnel and the airline’s ground supervisor.

The passenger was handed over to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) security and subsequently transferred to the Nigeria Police Force for investigation, leading to her arraignment and remand.

Ibom Air has permanently banned Emmanson from all its flights and submitted a detailed incident report to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority.