The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has clarified that the case involving Comfort Emmanson, the passenger accused of assaulting Ibom Air crew members, is different from that of Fuji musician Wasiu Ayinde, popularly known as KWAM 1.
NCAA’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Mike Achimugu, made this known during an X Space session on Monday.
He explained that the authority did not instruct the airline to prosecute or ban Emmanson, adding that Ibom Air acted independently based on the evidence it had.
He said, “In this case, the airline exercised its rights to do what they needed to do, right? And AON, based on some of the evidences already available, because while the investigations are ongoing, you can still be working with what is available to you.
“Now, for you who say you are in the industry, when you see a passenger hitting a cabin crew member in the way the lady was doing, and the fight she had with the people who came to restrain her, you may have to agree that the airlines had every right to announce a ban.
“Yeah, of course, one would expect that at the end of all of these things, maybe the ban could be shortened or even removed altogether.
“But as of the moment, if they feel that that’s the right thing, because again, don’t forget, airline staff are also human beings, and they’re also fellow Nigerians.
“Some of them are your brothers and your sisters, too. And they deserve the same courtesy that passengers also deserve. Now, nobody deserves to be beaten up or hit in the manner that occurred in this flight.”
Achimugu said the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) acted within its rights, pointing to past incidents where the absence of evidence prevented regulatory action.
He recalled an incident in which three intoxicated passengers caused a mid-air disturbance on a London–Nigeria flight, creating a situation that could have endangered the aircraft. According to him, Air Peace was displeased that no advisory was issued to blacklist those passengers, but the lack of evidence meant the NCAA could not act, turning the matter into a “he said, she said” situation.
“I want to state clearly that the NCAA did not issue any advisory to AON. AON is within its rights to ban or blacklist any passenger. Just to make that clear,” he said.
Achimugu noted that while Ibom Air promptly charged Comfort Emmanson to court, ValueJet did not press charges in KWAM 1’s case, leading the NCAA to petition the authorities. He added that airlines have the right to pursue prosecution, though disputes could also be resolved amicably.
On the Ibom Air incident, Achimugu explained that cabin crew members are responsible for passenger safety and security, in addition to comfort. He said the crew member in question acted within her rights by blocking the path of the alleged assailant as a form of restraint without physical contact.
“She wanted to restrain the passenger without laying hands on her, and she’s within her rights to do so. I don’t know if it’s standard practice — I would need to check with the NCAA’s director of aviation security. But there are different ways to restrain an unruly passenger, and standard practices can always evolve,” he concluded.