In an Instagram post at the weekend, Comfort Emmanson, the Ibom Air passenger at the centre of a viral mid-flight altercation, cried out that she has been unfairly labelled as a nuisance and left humiliated after her private ordeal was broadcast across social media.
“I am not a nuisance, neither am I wayward. I don’t wish this humiliation on my worst enemy,” she wrote, stressing that she only reacted out of frustration during the heated encounter with airline staff.
The incident, which occurred on August 10 during a Uyo to Lagos flight, escalated after Emmanson was asked to switch off her phones before take-off. She explained that one of her devices had a faulty power button and was eventually switched off with the help of another passenger. However, on arrival in Lagos, she alleged that a flight attendant identified as Juliana blocked her from leaving the plane and looked at her “with a bad eye.”
According to Emmanson, the situation then turned violent. “The pain of having my frontal yanked off was unbearable. I reacted out of frustration and poked her because I couldn’t take it anymore,” she wrote. She further alleged that her wig was pulled off, her necklace broken, and her clothes torn in the scuffle.
Lamenting the humiliation, she added: “My body was all over the internet. Some even turned the videos into stickers. I can’t even face clients anymore. I feel ashamed to go out. Imagine me trying to sell a house, and clients have seen that video. How do I face them?”
The viral scene sparked outrage as multiple passengers filmed her half-dressed state, and the footage quickly spread online. Ibom Air responded by placing a lifetime ban on her, a move backed by the Airline Operators of Nigeria. However, following public outcry and the intervention of Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo, the ban was later lifted. A legal case against her was also dismissed after the prosecution withdrew charges in court.