What began as a routine Sunday flight from Uyo to Lagos spiraled into one of Nigeria’s most shocking cases of in-flight misconduct — ending with passenger Comfort Emmanson trading her seatbelt for a cell at Kirikiri Correctional Centre.
According to Ibom Air, trouble started before take-off on August 10, 2025, when Emmanson repeatedly defied crew instructions to switch off her mobile phone, a standard aviation safety rule.
It took the intervention of a fellow traveler — after a direct order from the Pilot-in-Command — to power the device down. Instead of compliance, Emmanson reportedly erupted into a loud verbal attack, setting the tone for what was to come.
When the plane touched down in Lagos, witnesses say she waited until most passengers had exited before unleashing a violent assault on the Purser, who had earlier requested her cooperation.
In a flurry of rage, she allegedly yanked off the crew member’s wig and glasses, delivered multiple slaps, and wielded her shoe as a weapon. Another crew member who tried to step in also came under attack.
The outburst escalated dangerously when Emmanson allegedly attempted to seize a fire extinguisher — a move that could have put lives at risk. Her aggression then extended beyond the cabin, as she assaulted Ibom Air security staff, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) personnel, and a ground supervisor before she was finally subdued and handed over to the police.
Ibom Air has since issued a lifetime ban on Emmanson, while the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) vowed to intensify enforcement against unruly passengers. Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo’s media aide, Tunde Moshood, confirmed the court remand in a statement on X (formerly Twitter), bluntly warning: “The flying public should be more careful… the unruly passenger… has been charged to court and she’s now cooling off in Kirikiri.”
For Ibom Air’s passengers, it was a flight they’ll never forget — and for Emmanson, a one-way trip from turbulence in the skies to confinement behind bars.
