The August 10, 2025, in-flight altercation between Comfort Emmanson and the staff of Ibom Air, which also continued after landing, has brought to the fore the issue of aviation safety and customer relations.
According to reports, Emmanson flagrantly ignored aviation rules that passengers should, as a matter of fact, turn off their phones while on board. Her stubbornness and bolshie mood led to scuffles on board and later fisticuffs after landing.
Even weeks before the Emmanson debacle, a popular musician, King Wasiu Ayinde Marshal, reportedly barricaded an airline from take-off, holding it captive. He put his life at risk by standing on the tarmac in the way of the aircraft.
Also, before these two incidents, there had been risky behaviours by air passengers, some of which had gone unreported.
But the KWAM and Emmanson episodes have, perhaps, been the most alarming of recent, generating media discourse and becoming trending on social media.
Such breaches of security and aviation rules have left many wondering how safe the Nigerian aviation sector is. Also, it portrays how Nigerians are taking aviation safety for granted and throwing caution to the wind when it comes to individual and collective safety.
But unfortunately, the Emmanson case seems to have polarised the public. While most criticised her actions, some Nigerians, including the elite, have pitched their tent on her side. A man in Delta State is reported to have offered to employ and pay her N500,000 per month. Some human rights activists have readily come to her defence. A lot of interest has been generated by the Emmanson case, and social media is still awash with her story. People are still dissipating their energies over the matter, apportioning blame here and there.
Related: Ibom Air Fracas: Rights Group Calls for Investigation into Inhumane Treatment
In the midst of all the ongoing debates, it should not be lost on Nigerians that safety is the watchword of air travel. Air travel is only relatively safe where everyone on board complies with the rules and instructions of dos and don’ts in flight.
From reports so far on the matter, it was expressly clear that Emmanson refused to comply with the rules that all phones must be turned off on board. It was obvious that she bluntly refused to carry out instructions issued to her by flight attendants. Her excuses that her cellphone suddenly malfunctioned and therefore could not be turned off are lame, feeble and unconvincing. So, also unjustified was the action of KWAM to have barricaded an aircraft from taking off.
In both cases, the persona dramatis acted against the rule of law. They were glaringly in breach of the law and therefore must face the necessary consequences.
But it is quite alarming to find a section of the public invariably coming to the support of the two. That raises the question as to whether Nigeria no longer has rules and laws that must be obeyed and adhered to. Any sane society is built on the rule of law. Anything short of that is an invitation to chaos.
Therefore, to say the least, such breaches put the aviation sector at great risk and the lives of passengers in danger. While the aviation industry is relatively safe and has good records, a single accident could claim more lives at a go than any other transportation accident. Usually, survival rate in air crashes is almost nil. It is on this awareness of the inherent danger that any sane Nigerian will outrightly condemn the attitudes of Emmanson and KWAM.
Those who are familiar with the incident of September 11, 2001, when terrorists hijacked planes and drove them into landmark monuments in the United States, will always suspect passengers who act in discordance with laid-down aviation rules and instructions as probable terrorists, or as someone planning to cause harm to air travellers. Nothing should be taken for granted. Any heady behaviour is suspicious, and anyone challenging the aviation rules cannot be treated lightly.
Nigerians must begin to abide by the rule of law, and that is when they can build a decent nation free of danger to the public. Therefore, the actions of Emmanson and KWAM should not be condoned in any form but should be reprimanded to forestall recurrence. Also, aviation personnel should be trained on how best to approach duties with courtesy!
