Passenger collapses at Abuja airport after face-off with FAAN officials

Christiana Ebun, a passenger with Ibom Air collapsed after she was allegedly assaulted by officials of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) at the Nnamdi Azikiwe airport on Monday, witnesses said.

Ebun with ticket number QI0313 and seat number 17A, scheduled to depart Abuja to Lagos on a 7:00 a.m. flight was said to be waiting to board when she sighted some FAAN officials allegedly speaking rudely to a lady.

Ebun was said to have started recording the event before she was confronted by FAAN officials.

However, a contrary report claims she was not assaulted but had an asthmatic attack during the fight with officials.

BusinessDay learnt that when security was called in, they demanded that the lady desists from filming but she insisted she was on a video call. The securities had asked her to hand over the phone for confirmation, but she refused and insisted the request was an infringement on her rights.

However, the passenger was said to be asthmatic and when fracas with the security agents ensued, she was said to experience an asthmatic attack.

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According to a FAAN official, after first aid was administered, Ebun went into town to seek medical attention after refusing the ambulance or medical evaluation from FAAN, although it was learnt her number was taken.

Some eyewitnesses alleged that there was a physical assault, that led to her collapse.

Hope-Ivbaise Faithful, FAAN’s general manager, Corporate Communication, denied the allegations that the passenger was beaten by FAAN officials.

Faithful said having reviewed the Close Circuit Television (CCTV), they found out that after the passenger refused to stop recording, the security officials asked her to follow them to their office, so the issue would not draw public attention.

She said it was in the process of going with them to their office that she had an asthma attack and was quickly attended to by the airport health officials.

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha is the Aviation Correspondent at BusinessDay Media Limited, publishers of BusinessDay Newspapers. She is also the Deputy Editor, BusinessDay Weekender Magazine, the Saturday Weekend edition of BusinessDay. She holds a BSC in Mass Communication from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Masters degree in Marketing at the University of Lagos. As the lead writer on the aviation desk, Ifeoma is responsible and in charge of the three weekly aviation and travel pages in BusinessDay and BDSunday. She also overseas and edits all pages of BusinessDay Saturday Weekender. She has written various investigative, features and news stories in aviation and business related issues and has been severally nominated for award in the category of Aviation Writer of the Year by the Nigeria Media Nite-Out awards; one of the Nigeria’s most prestigious media awards ceremonies. Ifeoma is a one-time winner of the prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Award under the 'Aviation Writer of the Year' Category. She is the 2025 Eloy Award winner under the Print Media Journalist category. She has undergone several journalism trainings by various prestigious organisations. Ifeoma is also a fellow of the Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.