‘The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has clarified that the case involving Comfort Emmanson, a passenger accused of assaulting Ibom Air crew members, is different from the incident involving Fuji musician, Wasiu Ayinde, popularly known as KWAM 1.
Speaking during an X Space session on Monday, NCAA’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Mike Achimugu, said the regulatory body neither directed the airline to prosecute nor ban Emmanson, stressing that Ibom Air acted independently based on evidence at hand.
“In this case, the airline exercised its rights to act on the available evidence,” Achimugu said, adding that the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) also acted within its rights to announce a ban.
He noted that the restriction could later be reviewed but insisted that no airline staff deserved physical assault.
Citing past incidents, Achimugu recalled a case where three intoxicated passengers caused a mid-air disturbance on a London–Nigeria flight, but lack of evidence prevented any regulatory action. “To be clear, the NCAA did not issue an advisory to AON. AON is within its rights to ban or blacklist a passenger,” he stated.
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He further explained that while Ibom Air promptly charged Emmanson to court, ValueJet took no legal action in KWAM 1’s case, prompting the NCAA to petition the authorities.
Achimugu stressed that cabin crew have both comfort and safety responsibilities, including the authority to restrain unruly passengers. “Blocking the path of someone who has assaulted you is also a form of restraint,” he said, adding that standard practices for handling such situations may evolve.
