By Chioma Obinagwam
A man onboard Ibom Air flight has shared an eyewitness account of what transpired between Comfort Emmanson and the Air hostess who accused Emmanson of hostility.
Confiance News gathered from the official X handle of Foundational Nupe Lawyer (@egi_nupe____) on Wednesday.
The eye witness who also shared his boarding details which bears the name Ogebe/DavidMr,
PNR: 13ZD1R
Flight: QI513
Ticket: 7042401085549/
The flight, which was from Uyo to Lagos, alleged that the hostess was rude to Emmanson.
Below is a full excerpt of his tweet:
An Eye Witness Account – Ibom Air Flight No. QI 513 from Uyo To Lagos on Sunday 10 August 2025.
So, I was on the now infamous Ibom Air flight from Uyo to Lagos on 10 August 20225 at 1:20pm. I sat on seat 14B, the aisle seat on the left side of the emergency exit row of the Plane. Miss. Emmanson sat across the aisle immediately to my right on the corresponding emergency exit row aisle seat (that should be seat 14C or D depending on how the seats were numbered). Considering it was a small aircraft, it could be said that we sat about two feet apart, so I was privy, first hand, to all that transpired prior to take off, and upon landing until I exited the plane before the entire drama began. I will detail hereunder what transpired, suffice to say, at no time did Miss. Emmanson refuse to switch off her phone for take off.
Disclaimer
It is important to state that prior to meeting Miss. Emmansonon the aircraft by pure happenstance, I had never met her before. She is a complete stranger to me. In the same vein I have never met any of the Ibom Air hostesses before Friday, to the best of my knowledge, and I am only speaking out now out of a moral duty and civic responsibility to speak the truth so that everyone, whether highly placed or not, highly connected or not, can be treated fairly and justly in all circumstances.
I must also state immediately that I do not condone or endorse the acts of violence and disorderliness exhibited by Miss.Emmanson as seen in various videos circulating in the media space. It is not justified.
Unjustified Humiliation and Provocation By Ibom Air Hostess
There were only two air hostesses on the plane which I presume to be as a result of the size of the plane. One of the hostesses approached us and gave us the regular briefing for passengers sitting on the emergency exit. This hostess was exceptionally kind, polite and amiable. I will refer to her henceforth as hostess 1. After the briefing she asked Miss.Emmanson politely twice to switch off her phone. I noticed thereafter that Miss. Emmanson was fiddling with her phone with some uncertainty.
After hostess 1 left to continue her duties, hostess 2 came with an almighty huff and told Miss. Emmanson to switch off her phone with a very high voice. Miss. Emmanson in a low voice tried to explain to hostess 2 that the buttons on her phone for switch off were not working so she did not know how to switch off the phone. Hostess 2 rebuffed her and kept insisting that she switches off the phone. Hostess 2 then told her that the phone she was holding was an iPhone which did not require buttons to switch off. The lady now asked the hostess to assist her switch off the phone and hostess 2 replied “I am not touching your phone”. Hostess 2 now told her to go to settings and from there click on general. The lady now responded in an even lower voice saying “please I cannot read and don’t know what you said I should do. Can you just help me?” Hostess 2 now retorted “Please I don’t have time for your nonsense. Better switch off that phone immediately”.
The gentleman sitting to my left in seat 14A and I were flabbergasted when we heard this and could not believe that an air hostess could speak so condescendingly and unnecessarily humiliate a passenger, perhaps because she was a single female. We then intervened and asked the gentleman sitting next to the lady by the window of her row to assist her. He collected the phone and was assisting her. Miss. Emmanson then started asking hostess 2 if there was anything wrong with being unable to read and why she had to humiliate her like that to the whole public. Hostess 2 now told Miss. Emmanson to keep quiet or else she would deal with her. At this point Miss. Emmanson started cursing and told her she could do nothing to her. Hostess 2 then said “ok, you will see” then she left in a puff and proceeded to the cockpit and never came back.
Confiance News recalls that Comfort Emmanson was involved in a chaotic altercation with an air hostess on an Ibom Air flight. The incident began after Emmanson allegedly refused to turn off her mobile phone before takeoff, escalating into a physical confrontation upon landing in Lagos. A video of the incident went viral, showing Emmanson being forcibly removed from the aircraft, with her clothes torn. Following the incident, she was charged to court and remanded at a correctional facility, and a lifetime flight ban was placed on her by Nigerian airlines.
Consequently, Nigeria’s Minister for Aviation, Festus Keyamo, initially condemned Emmanson’s actions but also criticized the circulation of the indecent video, ordering sanctions against the staff who leaked it. After consultations and pleas from various stakeholders, and noting Emmanson’s remorse, Keyamo prevailed on Ibom Air to withdraw their complaint and the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) to lift the flight ban, leading to her discharge from court.
Although Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace, Festus Keyamo, has ordered for the release of Emmanson, the public is demanding that justice be served.
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