A tense and unsettling scene unfolded at Lagos’s Murtala Muhammed International Airport on Sunday when a female passenger arriving on an Ibom Air flight from Uyo aggressively confronted AVSEC officers and cabin crew in a fiery altercation.
Clad in a white top and black trousers, the passenger can be seen in viral footage forcefully slapping a flight attendant and creating chaos as she resisted being escorted off the aircraft. Moments later, AVSEC operatives intervened to subdue her as travellers looked on in shock.
Authorities later identified her as Ms Comfort Emmanson, who was subsequently detained and may face prosecution under aviation regulations. A statement from Bi‑Courtney Aviation Services Limited confirmed the incident and said it stemmed from non-compliance with basic flight safety protocols.
Reports indicate the altercation may have been triggered by her refusal to switch off her mobile phone during aircraft descent—a standard safety instruction routinely issued by cabin crew. The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) issued a reminder that passengers have obligations as well as rights in these moments.
Michael Achimugu, NCAA’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, emphasized that the incident underscores the urgent need for passengers to follow instructions: “Passengers need to understand that they have responsibilities, not just rights.” ESPN playback: NCAA promises further updates after reviewing incident footage.
As Nigeria’s flagship international terminal processes thousands of flyers daily, this clash serves as a stark reminder: when basic safety rules are breached, tensions can spill onto the runway, disrupting operations and posing risks to crew and passengers alike.
