From senator to superstar: Inside Nigeria’s growing problem with ‘unruly’ airport passengers

Flight delays, mechanical glitches, and the occasional runway mishap are nothing new in Nigerian aviation. But, in recent months, the skies have been calm, and the attention has shifted to the dramatic passengers and airport officials. 

From a passenger blocking an aisle until the airspace is closed to a senator staging a sit-in at the airport gate and a music legend physically stopping an aircraft from moving, these incidents have shifted attention to troubling cracks in the country’s aviation policies and enforcement. 

On January 8, an Ibom Air flight from Uyo to Abuja was cancelled after a passenger disrupted flight operations, causing delays.

The passenger went irate after discovering her luggage was not loaded into the aircraft due to overweight limits.

She created a scene, and despite pleas from the crew and pilot, she blocked the aisle and held the plane hostage until the airspace was closed, leading to a cancellation of the flight, which had 89 passengers onboard, including an infant.

Mike Achimugu, director of public affairs and consumer protection at the NCAA, said the passenger would be prosecuted in court.

THEN CAME OSHIOMHOLE

In June, videos that circulated online showed Adams Oshiomhole, senator representing Edo north, sitting in front of a gate at the Zulu Hall of Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal 1.

The lawmaker was addressing some airport officials over his missed Air Peace flight from Lagos to Abuja.

In a statement explaining the situation, the airline accused Oshiomhole of assaulting its staff and forcefully barricading the terminal’s entrance.

The airline added that Oshiomhole’s attitude caused significant disruption to its operations and affected numerous travellers scheduled for various flights.

In response, the senator said what he experienced was a case of extortion and arbitrary policy changes by the airline.

He criticised the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) for failing in its oversight duties and urged the federal government to step in.

NEXT WAS K1 THE ULTIMATE 

The dust had settled on the skirmish with Oshiomhole, but it wouldn’t be for long.

On August 5, Wasiu Ayinde, the Fuji musician better known as KWAM1, made the headlines for standing — not before a microphone — but at the front of a ValueJet aircraft in a bid to prevent it from taxiing for takeoff at the domestic terminal of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

The airline accused Ayinde of spilling a controversial liquid, which it said was alcohol, on its crew member when he was approached regarding the content of the bottle.

In videos that made the rounds, Ayinde was seen in a heated exchange with airport personnel at the foot of the aircraft.

When the plane moved, the musician stood at its front. Eventually, the plane veered off, and Ayinde and other airport staff had to dodge the wings of the aircraft.

However, Ayinde said the substance in his bottle was water, adding that he goes about with it based on his doctor’s prescription for severe dehydration.

The NCAA suspended the licences of the two ValueJet pilots over breach of aviation safety protocol and placed Ayinde on a no-fly list for an initial period of six months.

The regulator later announced that Ayinde’s flight ban would remain in place indefinitely until ongoing investigations into the flight incident are concluded.

The agency added that Ayinde’s conduct at the airport amounts to an act of terrorism in some other countries.

PASSENGER ‘ASSAULTS’ CREW, SECURITY 

A few days later, on August 10, a female passenger identified as Comfort Emmanson allegedly assaulted some of the cabin crew members aboard Ibom Air’s Uyo-Lagos flight.

Shortly before takeoff, Emmanson was asked by a purser to switch off her phone in line with standard aviation safety procedures.

“She bluntly refused to comply until the Pilot-in-Command made an announcement, after which a fellow passenger seated beside her took the phone and switched it off,” Ibom Air said in a statement.

“This action prompted a verbal tirade from Ms. Emmanson. The situation was eventually calmed, and the flight departed as scheduled.”

The airline added that upon landing, Emmanson attacked and assaulted the purser, other crew members, and security personnel.

She was handed over to security at the airport, and the airline placed a travel restriction on her.

The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) also placed her on its no-fly list for life.

The NCAA, in reaction to the recent incident, said air safety regulations must be obeyed and warned that it would intensify enforcement against unruly passenger behaviour.

TheCable asked Achimugu if any cases had been fully prosecuted in the past and what the outcomes were.

He said only one case was in court, and that previous cases have been settled between the airlines and affected passengers.

“You know, in law, anywhere in the world, mediation is also legally allowed. So, if a passenger and airline have come together to say, ‘Look, between ourselves, we’re sorry that this happened and we’re willing to let it go and pay for damages,’ they can let it go, but we at the NCAA will continue to educate passengers about their responsibilities both in the airport terminals and aboard the aircraft,” Achimugu told TheCable.

‘NO DOUBLE STANDARD, NCAA CANNOT PROSECUTE’

Achimugu dismissed claims of a double standard by the NCAA in the cases involving Ayinde and Emmanson.

He said the NCAA does not have the power to prosecute and can only petition the attorney-general of the federation and the inspector-general of police to prosecute.

“What has happened in the Ibom Air case is that the airline has exercised its right to take the person to court because the person physically assaulted their staff,” he explained.

“People need to understand that the NCAA protects the rights of not just the passengers but also the airlines and other stakeholders.

“If Ibom Air did not take any action against this passenger, the NCAA would have done exactly what it did in the KWAM 1 case, and that is write a criminal referral, because the NCAA does not have the power to prosecute passengers directly.

“People think that the NCAA has executed double standards in these cases, no. The NCAA did not take KWAM 1 to court; it did not take the lady to court. What they did was that since ValueJet did not sue KWAM 1 immediately, the NCAA wrote a petition to the AGF and IGP for them to be able to prosecute.”

On what enforcement actions the NCAA would take against unruly passengers, Achimugu said the agency will “name and shame” and write prosecution referrals to the AGF and IGP in cases where the airline takes no action.

“What is most painful is that every incident that occurred arose out of the most simple, basic stuff that should never have escalated to this point,” he said.

He added that the NCAA will continue to educate passengers and preach a zero-tolerance policy for unruly passenger behaviour.