Premium News
NACA CALLS FOR EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT OF PASSENGERS ON BOARD IBOM AIR WITH COMFORT EMMANSON
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has called on passengers who were on the Ibom Air Uyo–Lagos flight (IAN513) involved in a mid-air fracas to come forward with firsthand accounts of the incident.
Ibom Air had earlier denied that its staff released the nude video of Comfort Emmanson also known as Comfort Bob, the embattled passenger at the centre of an altercation with an air hostess.
SaharaReporters earlier on Monday reported how drama erupted at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos when the female passenger assaulted a flight attendant and later clashed with airport officials.
According to accounts, the in-flight drama began when she reportedly struck an air hostess, escalating after landing with viral videos showing her confronting security personnel on the tarmac before being forcibly escorted into an airport bus.
However, in a public appeal on Tuesday, NCAA spokesperson Michael Achimugu urged any witness to urgently contact him via direct message or email at michael.achimugu@ncaa.gov.ng for verification and further discussion.
Achimugu said the regulator was determined to hear “both sides of the story” before drawing final conclusions, stressing that while unruly behaviour in aviation would not be condoned, other parties who may have been culpable must also be held accountable.
“This does not negate the exhibition of unruly behaviour and its ramifications,” he stated. “But it will ensure that every other person who was culpable down the line is held accountable.”
He disclosed that NCAA officers in Lagos had been assigned to carry out a fact-finding mission, engaging with police and other security operatives who were involved in handling the incident.
Achimugu described the fracas as “a test for the system,” noting that aviation regulations are only as effective as human conduct allows.
“No matter how fine regulations are, human behaviour will always be unpredictable,” he said. “When these events occur, we are able to see the gaps and pluck loopholes.”
He concluded with a firm reminder: “In aviation, it is safety first, safety second, and safety third.”
The NCAA’s intervention follows public outrage after videos of the altercation circulated online, sparking debates on passenger rights, airline conduct, and airport security procedures.
