The Airline Operators of Nigeria, AON, has placed a female passenger, Comfort Emmanson, who assaulted airline officials on an Ibom Air flight inbound Lagos from Uyo on its ‘No Fly’ list indefinitely.
This came as the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has condemned the release of a video showing indecent exposure of the passenger during the incident, describing the act as “totally unacceptable” and directing that the staff responsible be identified and sanctioned.
AON announced the ban on the passenger in a statement on Monday issued by its spokesperson, Prof Obiora Okonkwo. The statement insisted that Emmanson was the one assaulting the crew members, adding that the ban on the passenger is indefinite.
The statement read, “We condemn the violent incident involving Ms. Comfort Emmanson, a passenger on Ibom Air flight Q9 303 from Uyo to Lagos on August 10, 2025. Therefore, effective immediately, the AON has placed Ms. Emmanson on its ‘No Fly’ list indefinitely. She is hereby banned from flying with any AON member, either domestically or internationally, for life.
“Such incidents have become one too many, with the most recent being the incident involving Nigerian musician, King Wasiu Ayinde Marshal (KWAM 1) on VajueJet and the unruly behaviour of Senator Adams Oshiomhole towards the members of staff of Air Peace.”
A video circulating on social media showed an enraged Emmanson attacking a flight attendant on an Ibom Aeroplane and confronting airport security officials.
In a statement on Monday, Ibom Air said the incident began shortly before take-off from Uyo when the passenger refused to comply with standard aviation safety procedures requiring her to switch off her mobile phone. The airline said a fellow passenger seated beside her took the phone and switched it off, prompting a verbal tirade from Emmanson.
The aviation company said that upon arrival in Lagos, Emmanson proceeded to physically assault the individual who had earlier instructed her to switch off her phone. Ibom Air said her conduct posed a serious threat to the safety of its crew, passengers, and aircraft.
The domestic carrier, therefore, imposed a travel restriction on her, adding that she would no longer be allowed to fly on any of its aircraft.
Keyamo speaks
The aviation minister, Keyamo, condemned the release of a video showing indecent exposure of the passenger during the incident, describing the act as “totally unacceptable” and directing that the staff responsible be identified and sanctioned.
In a statement on his official X account on Monday, Keyamo said, “Whilst we support the filming of her recalcitrant behaviour as evidence to prosecute her, what is deplorable is to release such evidence containing indecent exposure to the public to ridicule her. That is totally unacceptable to us. We will not fold our arms and tolerate the debasing of womanhood.
“I have therefore directed that whoever released that part of the video containing the indecent exposure amongst the staff should be singled out and adequately sanctioned.”
On preventive measures, he said, “I have also directed that the airlines must continue to train and retrain their staff in public relations and how to deal with potentially explosive situations in order to diffuse them promptly or nip them in the bud, except when it becomes inevitable. I have also directed a joint security meeting between relevant agencies next week for better coordination of security measures in situations like this or similar ones we witnessed recently.
He added that, “Earlier today, we again woke up to viral videos of a female passenger on Ibom Airline (now identified as Ms. Comfort Emmanson or Comfort Bob) who went berserk and physically assaulted both the flight crew and the ground staff. The incident took place yesterday, August 10, 2025 on Ibom Airline Flight No. Q153 from Uyo to Lagos at about 14:54 hours.
“Ibom Airline has since issued a statement to provide some context to the effect that the whole unfortunate incident arose because of the refusal of the passenger to switch off her phone during take-off as required by the extant International Civil Aviation Regulations.”
The statement added, “Consequently, in the last few hours, I have been speaking with the Commissioner of Police of the Airport Police Command, the DG of the NCAA and his team, the MD of FAAN and her team, the COO of Ibom Air and his team about the incident.”
According to the him, “Apart from the indefinite flight ban imposed on the said unruly passenger (both local and international) by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority the Police has promptly arraigned her this morning at the Ikeja Magistrates Court for criminal offences and remanded her at Kirikiri Prisons as she could not provide adequate sureties in court. I have attached the Charge Sheet and Remand Order for clarity.”
He further reminded passengers that “for genuinely aggrieved passengers, there are clearly laid-down remedies to address grievances. The Consumer Protection Directorate of the NCAA has consistently advertised these remedies, and there is no point trying to take the laws into one’s hands that may lead to dire consequences.”
The statement concluded with a warning: “We will continue to apply equal sanctions available to us in Aviation on any such erring passengers, that is, lengthy flight bans and report the matters to other law enforcement agencies to do their bit within their powers.”
Also, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria expressed deep concern over the increasing cases of unruly passenger behaviour at the nation’s airports, warning that such acts will no longer be tolerated and will attract tough sanctions under existing aviation laws and regulations
In a statement signed by the FAAN’s Director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Obiageli Orah, on Monday, it said, “The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria has noted with concern the increasing frequency of unruly behaviour by some passengers at our airports. We wish to categorically state that such conduct is entirely unacceptable within the framework of civil aviation and will not be tolerated.”
