The Network for the Actualisation of Social Growth and Viable Development, a civil society organisation, has called for a comprehensive investigation into the treatment of Comfort Emmanson by Ibom Air and regulatory agencies.
In a statement issued on Monday by its Head of Office, Omoniyi Akingunola, the group also gave Emmanson free legal assistance, calling her treatment “unfair, unjust, and unacceptable”.
Social media videos show a furious Emmanson punching flight attendants on an Ibom Air trip from Uyo to Lagos and threatening airport security officers.
According to Ibom Air, the incident began just before takeoff from Uyo when the passenger failed to follow basic aviation safety measures, which required her to turn off her mobile phone.
The airline claimed her actions posed a major threat to the safety of its crew, passengers, and aircraft.
The domestic carrier has since slapped a travel restriction on her, stating that she would no longer be permitted to fly on any of their aircraft.
The group chastised Airline Operators of Nigeria for slapping a lifetime ban on Emmanson without a fair hearing or investigation.
Akingunola also chastised the police for rushing to court without performing sufficient fact-finding following the event.
He stated that publicly accessible footage of the incident is incomplete, noting that the altercation began onboard the aircraft.
The NEFGAD’s head insisted that Ibom Air share the in-flight camera footage to see whether Emmanson’s actions were prompted.
“It is wrong to judge the incident based solely on the clip recorded outside the aircraft. It appears something happened inside the plane, and the lady reacted after she was prevented from disembarking, an apparent orchestrated provocation to ensure she was penalised for whatever had transpired in-flight,” the statement reads.
He questioned how somebody forcibly pulled down from a plane could be expected to behave civilly, as well as why a passenger who was about to evacuate suddenly refused to leave moments later.
Akingunola suggested that the issue was purposefully escalated to fit a specific narrative and that cabin crew should not function as law enforcement officers, particularly when their actions culminated in physical violence.
