The Interim National Chairman of the Labour Party, Senator Nenadi Usman, has condemned the handling of the incident involving Ms. Comfort Emmanson, a passenger on an Ibom Air flight, by Nigeria’s civil aviation authorities.
The incident, which quickly became viral online, showed Ms. Emmanson slapping a female air hostess after being instructed to switch off her phone. She was subsequently removed from the aircraft by security personnel, arraigned in court, and remanded at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre.
Reacting through a statement released by her Senior Special Adviser on Media, Ken Asogwa, Senator Usman contrasted Ms. Emmanson’s treatment with a recent case involving popular Fuji musician K1 De Ultimate (KWAM 1), a known associate of President Bola Tinubu.
The statement read in part: “Last week, Nigerians were stunned by the disturbing report that a popular Fuji musician, K1 De Ultimate (KWAM 1), a personal friend of President Bola Tinubu, allegedly endangered the lives of hundreds of passengers aboard a Value Jet aircraft by attempting to stop a taxiing plane.”
Senator Usman stressed that despite the musician’s actions, “This flagrant violation of established aviation safety regulations was conveniently glossed over by the relevant authorities, apparently because of the musician’s proximity to the President.”
In contrast, Ms. Emmanson’s case saw rapid and severe consequences.
“Reports allege that she assaulted a crew member in protest. What followed was a swift and shocking sequence of events: Ms Emmanson was stripped naked by aviation security, arraigned, imprisoned at Kirikiri Correctional Centre, banned for life from flying Ibom Air, and placed on the Airlines Operators of Nigeria’s ‘No-Fly’ list – all within 24 hours of the incident. Who knew Nigerian justice could move with such lightning speed?” the statement added.
While acknowledging that Ms. Emmanson breached passenger safety guidelines by refusing to fully comply with the phone restrictions, Senator Usman’s statement noted that her inhumane treatment, ‘a blatant violation of the constitutional right to personal dignity’, is an even more grievous offence, especially when committed by those trained to enforce discipline, not abuse it.
She further criticised the timing and selective enforcement of justice, stating, “This incident comes just days after the shameful Value Jet episode involving KWAM 1, where several aviation stakeholders scrambled to defend the musician rather than condemn his recklessness. The message from these two episodes could not be clearer: if you are connected to those in power, you can flout the law with impunity. If you are not, the system will come down on you with crushing force. This selective application of justice is not justice at all – it is the most insidious form of pretended justice.”
Senator Usman concluded by calling on President Bola Tinubu to uphold the principles enshrined in the reinstated national anthem, noting, “If these were reinstated out of conviction rather than nostalgia, then the President must ensure that his friend, KWAM 1, faces the same accountability meted out to Ms Emmanson. After all, what is good for the goose must also be good for the gander.”
