Ibom Air has announced a lifetime ban on a female passenger following a violent altercation aboard its Uyo–Lagos flight on Sunday, August 10. The airline identified the passenger as Comfort Emmanson, whose actions endangered the safety of crew members, other passengers, and the aircraft itself.

According to Ibom Air’s statement, the incident began shortly before take-off from Uyo, when Emmanson “was instructed in line with standard aviation safety procedures to switch off her mobile phone. She bluntly refused to comply until the Pilot-in-Command made an announcement, after which a fellow passenger seated beside her took the phone and switched it off.” The airline added that this refusal sparked a “verbal tirade from Ms. Emmanson,” although the situation was temporarily defused for departure.

Upon arrival in Lagos, the statement said, Emmanson “waited for all other passengers to disembark and then proceeded to confront the Purser, who had earlier instructed her. She walked up to the unsuspecting Purser, stepped on her, forcibly tore off her wig, removed her glasses and threw it to the floor, and used her footwear to assault her. She slapped her several times, and when the other cabin crew member tried to intervene, she slapped her too.”

The altercation escalated when Emmanson allegedly attempted to “forcibly remove a fire extinguisher to use as a weapon, an act that could have damaged and grounded the aircraft.” The pilot immediately alerted airport security. The Purser managed to hold Emmanson on board until security arrived. Even then, the passenger “attacked Ibom Air security personnel and even slapped the ground supervisor.” She was eventually restrained and handed over to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) security, who transferred her to the Nigeria Police Force for further investigation.

In the statement, Ibom Air confirmed:
“Ms. Emmanson … will no longer be permitted to fly on any of our aircraft.” The airline also noted that it submitted a report on the incident to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and commended its crew and security for acting decisively.