Airline operators place 'No Fly' life ban on Emmanson, Ibom Air passenger for unruly behavior

Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) has said effective immediately they have placed Comfort Emmanson, the Air passenger who assaulted a staff of Ibom Air on Sunday on its ‘No Fly’ list indefinitely.

“She is hereby banned from flying with any AON member either domestically or internationally for life. Such incidents have become one too many with the most recent being the incident involving Nigerian musician, King Wasiu Ayinde Marshal (KWAM 1) on ValueJet and the unruly behaviour of Senator Adams Oshiomhole towards the members of staff of Air Peace,” Obiora Okonkwo,
Spokesperson for Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) said.

According to Okonkwo, the body condemns the violent incident involving Comfort Emmanson, a passenger on Ibom Air flight Q9 303 from Uyo to Lagos on August 10, 2025.

“We reviewed the detailed statement issued by Ibom Air regarding the incident and we commend the airline for its swift and professional handling of this unfortunate event and fully endorse the actions taken.

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“The incident which Ibom Air described, from the initial refusal by the passenger to comply with safety instructions regarding mobile phone usage which led to the brutal physical assault on Ibom Air crew members and the attempted use of a fire extinguisher as a weapon, constitutes one of the most severe cases of unruly passenger behaviour witnessed this year.

“This was not just disruptive; it was a sustained, violent attack that placed the lives of crew, passengers, and the integrity of the aircraft itself at risk. This behaviour is unacceptable,” the AON spokesperson said.

He stated that the incident exposes the vulnerabilities in the security response by the Aviation Security (AVSEC). He called on FAAN to immediately review and tighten security procedures at all airports across the country.

“The AON stands united with Ibom Air and all our members in maintaining a zero-tolerance policy towards unruly airline passengers.
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“Going forward, anyone who exhibits such behaviour will suffer similar consequence. While we recognise the rights of passengers to express their grievances, such actions must follow due process. We are committed to protecting our employees, passengers, equipment and to maintain the highest safety standards,” he added.

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.