Nigeria’s Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development has ordered the withdrawal of criminal proceedings against Ms Comfort Emmanson, an air passenger accused of disruptive behaviour, following her expression of remorse and interventions from respected figures.
Minister Festus Keyamo said on Wednesday that Ibom Air, the airline involved in the 10 August incident, had agreed to drop its complaint, paving the way for Ms Emmanson’s release from Kirikiri Prison within days. The Airline Operators of Nigeria has also rescinded the lifetime flight ban previously placed on her.
“This is a compassionate resolution after genuine regret was shown and appeals were made by well-meaning individuals,” Mr Keyamo explained in his statement on X.
The minister also announced measures affecting other recent aviation disputes. Pilots from ValueJet, Capt Oluranti Ogoyi and First Officer Ivan Oloba, will have their licences reinstated after a one-month skills reassessment, while Fuji music icon Wasiu Ayinde (Kwam 1) will see his flight ban cut from six months to one. In a bid to improve public awareness, Kwam 1 will work with the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria as an advocate for airport security procedures.
Mr Keyamo said both passengers and airline personnel had been at fault in recent high-profile incidents, and urged all parties to focus on improving conduct. He revealed that the government and aviation bodies will soon hold a media-covered retreat to retrain security staff and airline employees on conflict de-escalation.
“These decisions mark a line being drawn,” he said. “We remain uncompromising on safety and security, but believe the lessons learned will strengthen the industry.”
