Help Initiative Slams Aviation Double Standard – Demands Probe into Ibom Air’s Inhumane Treatment of Comfort Emmanson

PRESS RELEASE

August 11, 2025

The Help Initiative for Social Justice and Humanitarian Development is alarmed and outraged by the apparent double standard in how Nigerian aviation authorities and operators have handled two high-profile recent incidents: the public, violent treatment of Ms. Comfort Emmanson on an Ibom Air flight and the ValueJet versus the King Wasiu Ayinde Marshall (KWAM 1) episode. The two cases occurred within days of each other, yet have attracted markedly different official responses, a disparity that undermines public confidence in fairness, the rule of law, and dignity for ordinary Nigerians.

On August 10, 2025, a passenger identified as Comfort Emmanson was involved in a violent confrontation on board an Ibom Air flight from Uyo to Lagos. Viral videos show the passenger physically striking a crew member. She was subsequently removed from the aircraft, charged and remanded to Kirikiri Correctional Centre, and placed on an indefinite/no-fly list by Ibom Air and some industry bodies.

Additional footage that has circulated online appears to show a crew member blocking the aircraft exit and other officers restraining the passenger after landing. Some clips and media reports also show the passenger being dragged from the aircraft and her clothing torn during removal: images that many Nigerians have found humiliating and deeply disturbing.

While the Aviation Minister publicly condemned the release of indecent footage and directed that the staff who leaked it be identified and sanctioned, we consider that a weak and worrisome reaction from the Minister, considering that what is primarily disturbing is that such act of violence and inhumanity was carried out by the cabin crew in the first place.

Ms. Emmanson was immediately arrested and bundled off to Kirikiri, reputed to be one of the most notorious prisons in Nigeria, while no action was taken against the crew members of the airline who carried out the barbaric acts of violence and violations against her.

By contrast, in the ValueJet Airline and KWAM 1 incident, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) suspended the licenses of the two pilots involved and placed the musician on a no-fly restriction while investigations proceed, a visibly different enforcement trajectory in which airline crew were formally sanctioned.

This inequality of treatment raises troubling questions about impartiality and equal protection under the law. When one person is swiftly criminalised, remanded and permanently banned while other incidents involving politically connected figures result in disciplinary action against the crew rather than heavy criminalisation of the passenger, citizens reasonably ask whether access to power determines who receives due process and who is punished summarily. Recent airport episodes involving high-profile political figures have only intensified the perception of selective enforcement.

Our position

1. We do not condone any physical assault or unruly conduct on board aircraft. If a passenger assaulted cabin crew, that should be investigated and the passenger held to account, and the same must be rightly done under the rule of law.
2. The action of Ms. Emmanson hitting the Air hostess, as shown, was wrong and warrants utmost accountability. However, accountability is not tantamount to jungle justice and stripping a person of their dignity as done by the cabin crew.
3. Removing Ms. Emmanson from the aircraft should have been handled lawfully and professionally by the security officers, especially as she was also agitated at being held against her will, allegedly without explanations, after other passengers had been unboarded.
4. Equally, we categorically condemn the public humiliation and apparent excessive force recorded in the videos, including reports of torn clothing and indecent exposure, and we insist that no one be treated in a manner that strips away human dignity. Recording or leaking evidence that exposes a person to public degradation is itself a serious matter.
5. The rule of law must be applied consistently and transparently regardless of a person’s profile, wealth, ethnicity, gender or political connections.

Our demands (immediate)

1. Independent, public and transparent investigation into the Ibom Air incident (Comfort Emmanson), led by an independent panel (judicial officer / respected civil society / human rights experts), with a public timetable and published findings. Evidence (CCTV / onboard recordings) should be preserved and reviewed.
2. Full criminal investigation and prosecution, where warranted, of every member of the cabin/ground crew and any security personnel who used excessive force, stripped or publicly exposed Ms. Emmanson, or otherwise committed assault or indecent acts. Legal culpability must not be avoided because the perpetrators wear a uniform.
3. Immediate disciplinary action and sanction against any staff who circulated or leaked indecent footage, and criminal referral where the leak violates privacy, dignity or evidentiary rules. The Aviation Ministry’s instruction to sanction leakers must be implemented and publicly reported.
4. A review of the ‘indefinite/no-fly’ ban imposed on Ms. Emmanson by Ibom Air/AON to ensure it is proportionate, lawful and that she is given prompt access to legal representation and a fair hearing, as opposed not a summary de facto exile from the skies.
5. Parity of enforcement: NCAA, FAAN and the Aviation Ministry must publish clear criteria for sanctions and apply them uniformly. Where pilots or crew are found culpable, they must be disciplined; where passengers are culpable, they must be prosecuted, but never by means that violate rights or dignity.
6. Support and redress for Ms. Emmanson if her rights were violated: immediate medical/psychological care, legal aid to challenge any unlawful detention or sanctions, and consideration of compensation if excessive force or privacy breaches are confirmed.
7. Mandatory refresher training and sanctions regime for cabin and ground staff on de-escalation, passengers’ rights, evidence handling, and gender-sensitive conduct. Aviation operators must demonstrate culture change.

Nigeria’s aviation sector must be a model of safety, professionalism and respect for dignity. The selective application of power corrodes public trust and fuels the sense that some Nigerians are “more equal” than others. The Help Initiative calls on the Minister of Aviation, FAAN, NCAA, Ibom Air, and the Attorney-General’s office to act quickly, transparently and even-handedly, and to publish the outcomes of the investigations and the reasoning behind any sanctions.

We stand for justice, dignity and the equal application of the law. We will follow this matter closely and join any credible calls for independent oversight and redress.

Signed,
Help Initiative for Social Justice and Humanitarian Development, Nigeria