Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has ordered sanctions against Ibom Air staff member who leaked a viral video showing a female passenger’s indecent exposure during a mid-flight altercation.
The passenger, Comfort Emmanson, allegedly assaulted a flight attendant and resisted security operatives after Ibom Air flight from Uyo landed in Lagos. She was arraigned on Monday at the Ikeja Magistrates’ Court and remanded at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre after failing to produce sureties.
While condemning Ms Emmanson’s reported conduct, Mr Keyamo criticised the public release of footage capturing her torn clothing and exposed upper body. Posting on X, he said the clip initially filmed as evidence, was “totally unacceptable” for circulation.
“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. We will not fold our arms and tolerate the debasing of womanhood,” the minister wrote.
He directed Ibom Air management to identify and “adequately sanction” the staff responsible for the leak, warning that such breaches of professional conduct would not be overlooked.
Mr Keyamo also ordered airlines to strengthen staff training in conflict de-escalation, insisting that volatile situations must be handled without unnecessarily inflaming tensions. He announced plans for a joint security meeting of relevant agencies next week to improve coordination in similar incidents.
The minister reiterated that the government would continue to impose stiff penalties on unruly passengers, including long-term flight bans, while encouraging aggrieved travellers to use the Consumer Protection Directorate of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) for redress instead of taking the law into their own hands.
