The management of Ibom Air has said that a passenger who allegedly assaulted its staff and caused commotion on Sunday, Comfort Emmanson, refused to switch off her phone in the course of a flight from Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, to Lagos.
A video arising from the incident, which is now viral, has caused anxiety as it came barely days after the saga involving star musician, Wasiu Ayinde, and ValueJets Airline.
According to the airline, the incident began shortly before take-off when Ms. Emmanson was instructed regarding the standard aviation safety rules to switch off her mobile phone.
She reportedly refused until the Pilot-in-Command intervened, after which a fellow passenger seated beside her switched it off.
This act, Ibom Air said, triggered a verbal outburst from Ms. Emmanson, though the situation was temporarily defused, and the flight departed as scheduled.
Upon arrival in Lagos, Ms. Emmanson waited for all other passengers to disembark and then proceeded to confront the Purser, who had earlier instructed her.
“By this time, the Pilot-in-Command had alerted airport security. Before security could arrive, the Purser, as seen on the viral video on the internet, prevented the passenger from leaving the aircraft until security arrived.
“The arrival of Ibom Air Security personnel did not deter the passenger, as she attacked them as well, lashing out violently at the security personnel.
“She was then restrained and removed from the aircraft by force. Even after disembarking, she continued to assault Ibom Air security personnel and even slapped the ground supervisor.
“The passenger was removed from the ramp and taken into custody by FAAN security and handed over to the Nigeria Police Force for further investigation.
“Ibom Air has since submitted a report on the incident to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and placed a travel restriction on Ms. Emmanson, who will no longer be permitted to fly on any of our aircraft.
“Ibom Air reiterates its zero-tolerance policy towards any form of unruly or violent conduct that threatens the safety of passengers, crew, or equipment.
“We commend the bravery and professionalism of our crew in handling this situation under extremely challenging circumstances, as well as the swift support from airport security and the Nigerian Police.
“Safety remains our highest priority. We urge all passengers to comply with crew instructions at all times for the safety, security, and comfort of everyone on board.”
