Comfort Emmanson has finally spoken out after her arrest and release from the infamous Ibom Air incident, sharing her experience for the first time since walking free from custody.
In a video now circulating online, she thanked Nigerians and well-wishers for standing by her during what she described as the most humiliating and traumatizing moment of her life. “I want to express my gratitude to everyone who stood by me while I was in prison. The love and support I received when I got out was beyond what I expected. For someone like me, it meant the world that you all were there for me. May God bless you,” she said tearfully.
Recounting what happened on August 10, Emmanson said trouble started when a flight attendant identified as Juliana accused her of refusing to switch off her phone as the aircraft prepared to take off from Oyo to Lagos. According to her, one of her devices had a faulty power button, and despite asking for assistance, the attendant refused to help. It was another passenger who eventually assisted in turning it off.
But what should have ended there escalated into chaos. Emmanson alleged that upon arrival in Lagos, the same attendant blocked her from disembarking and gave her a hostile look. Feeling threatened, she began recording the encounter. That, she said, provoked the attendant, who allegedly attacked her, yanking off her wig, tearing her clothes, and breaking her necklace in the scuffle.
“She dragged my frontal, my gold chain, and in the process, my phone fell and broke. The pain of having my wig yanked off was unbearable. That was when I reacted out of anger,” Emmanson said.
She recounted being forcefully dragged out of the aircraft by multiple staff members while passengers recorded videos. Her clothes, she said, were ripped, leaving her exposed and humiliated. “They videoed me with my body out there. Some people even turned it into stickers. I can’t go out again because people already know me. Imagine me trying to sell a house, and clients have seen that video. How do I face them?”
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The shocking scene not only went viral but also left Emmanson traumatized. She revealed that she has been undergoing medical treatment since the incident and only delayed speaking out until she felt strong enough. “I’m not a troublemaker. People who know me in real life know the kind of person I am. I just never expected that offering to switch off my phone would escalate like this,” she insisted.
Her ordeal led to her arrest, arraignment on five charges, and a lifetime ban from Ibom Air. She was briefly remanded at Kirikiri Correctional Centre before her release. But in a dramatic twist on Wednesday, an Ikeja Magistrate’s Court in Ogba struck out the case after the police formally withdrew all charges.
The case has sparked national debate about passenger rights, airline conduct, and accountability in Nigeria’s aviation sector.
