Lifetime ban on Ibom Air passenger systematically wrong, says Obi

Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 elections, has criticised the decision of the airline union to place a lifetime ban on a passenger over alleged misconduct.

In a post published via his X page on Tuesday, Obi said the Nigerian justice system is “like a spider’s web: it catches the weak, while the powerful break through with ease”.

BACKGROUND

On Sunday, videos shared on X showed an enraged Comfort Emmanson, a passenger, attacking a flight attendant on an Ibom Air plane and confronting airport security officials.

Afterwards, Ibom Air imposed a travel restriction on the passenger for her conduct.

The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) also placed Emmanson on its “no‑fly” list for life over what it described as “one of the most severe cases of unruly behaviour witnessed this year”.

Emmanson has reportedly been remanded in Kirikiri Correctional Centre.

A magistrates’ court in Ogba, Lagos, ordered that the passenger be remanded in the correctional centre until October 6.

On Monday, Mike Achimugu, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) director of public affairs and consumer protection, said while the airline had the right to pursue prosecution, the parties could still settle out of court if they agreed to, allowing for possible withdrawal of the case.

‘IT’S UNJUST’

The former Anambra governor questioned the process that led to Emmanson’s sanction, asking whether all avenues for justice and compassionate resolution had been exhausted.

Obi said it was a “tragic irony” that a young woman could be barred for life while “those in positions of authority perpetrate far greater offences that harm the nation deeply, yet move freely in comfort, shielded from consequences”.

“This morning, I woke up to learn that the passenger, the young Ms Comfort Emmanson in her twenties, has been banned from flying for life — once again showing how our system works, proving the truth of Anacharsis’s words that ‘the law is like a spider’s web: it catches the weak, while the powerful break through with ease’,” Obi wrote.

“There is something systemically wrong and unjust about this authoritarian decision.

“What due process was followed overnight leading to this sanction? Have we exhausted the avenues of justice and compassionate resolution in this matter?

“It is a tragic irony that a young lady in her twenties can be banned for life, while we — her parents — commit worse crimes against humanity and are celebrated.

“Those in positions of authority perpetrate far greater offences that harm the nation deeply, yet move freely in comfort, shielded from consequences.

“In Ms Emmanson’s case, the authorities acted with lightning speed, but the same urgency is absent when dealing with the influential and politically connected.

“If this young woman, who indeed acted wrongly, now seeks to apologise, who will hear her cry in a country where the pain of the poor is invisible and the dignity of the less privileged is often disregarded? Justice must be consistent, or it becomes oppression in disguise.”

Restating the need for compassion and rehabilitation, Obi said “power must never determine who is punished”.

The incident happened days after a row at the domestic terminal of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, involving Wasiu Ayinde, a popular Fuji musician.

The musician was placed on a no-fly list, pending the outcome of a full investigation.

The NCAA also petitioned the attorney-general of the federation (AGF) and the inspector-general of police (IGP) to investigate the incident.